The Scottish newspaper, The Daily Record, has reported that Ncuti Gawta’s future as the Doctor is uncertain and that he has not yet signed up for his third season, i.e Doctor Who Series 15.

Speaking at San Diego Comic Con on Friday 26th July, Russell T Davies confirmed that neither the BBC nor Disney has Ncuti “locked in” for a third season. According to The Daily Record, the plot of the new season leaves Ncuti’s future with the show “open ended… according to US outlets” (whatever those are; possibly the report in Deadline we featured earlier this month in DWC).

Daily Record reported that the Daily Mirror quoted Ncuti as saying he has “no idea” if he will return for a third season as the Doctor. Daily Record continued:

Pushed for an answer [at Comic Con], he smiled nervously and glanced at Russell, who confirmed Ncuti’s future as the Doctor remains unclear. Davies said: “We’ve shot season two, but that’s only halfway through. We’ve got all those months of post to come. It’s a long way off, so no decisions yet.”

Ncuti has previously spoken of the “pressure” he felt when he was named as the Fifteenth Doctor. At Comic Con, he said that playing the Doctor was “surreal” and added:

“Still now, it’s a ‘pinch me’ moment.

“I am still growing into the Doctor but season two was lovely. It felt like the suit was fully fitted. I was finding my feet in season one and having the time of my life but season two felt like a chance to flex the muscles properly.”

Ncuti Gatwa is due to star later this year in a production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in London’s West End theatre district. As Deadline observed in news published in DWC earlier this month, Ncuti remains much in demand as an actor and, of course, a third season has yet to be confirmed by Disney+ or the BBC. If Ncuti does leave before any third season, he will take his place as one of the shortest serving Doctors in terms of episode count or screen time.

We await further developments.