The BBC has responded to complaints about spoiling the end of Doctor Who Series 15 finale, The Reality War; in particular, a news story revealing that Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor had regenerated.
Note that the corporation has not issued an apology; merely, a response, and actually, that’s understandable. They shouldn’t apologise for reporting the news. Nonetheless, it’s obvious that some fans won’t have watched the episode by the time BBC News published the story, i.e. straight after The Reality War aired! Arguably it’s worse than people taking to Twitter/X and Facebook to report ‘gatwa gone then dr who hazn’t been the same since baker!!’! bring back dave i dont watch it anymore n e way #ripdrwho” — because fans might stay away from social media for fear of spoilers, whereas they might like to check what’s happening in the world before seeing if that nasty Rani does away with her Time Lord chum.
Basically, it’s an impossible situation.
Some people contacted us to complain that the headline gave away the ending, spoiling this Doctor Who episode for them. Others requested that the BBC be more conscious of spoilers going forward, particularly in the use of headlines.
Ncuti Gatwa’s departure from the series had been widely speculated and many fans will have been aware that this was a possibility.
The headline on the news homepage that evening referred to Ncuti Gatwa’s departure because this was a legitimate entertainment news story in its own right, and it is not unusual that we would carry this type of story once a programme has been broadcast and the details in the public domain.
While we cannot account for everyone’s viewing habits, we initially held back from headlining the announcement of Ncuti Gatwa’s regeneration into Billie Piper. This extra detail was added later in the evening and our approach was consistent across the BBC site.
BBC journalists are of course entitled to use their judgement to decide which stories to cover and the manner in which they are reported. We also want our headlines to be as informative as possible.
Although every story is different, we have discussed your concerns on this occasion with senior editors and we will be mindful of your views for future coverage.
Interestingly, the BBC coverage might be good for Doctor Who fans too as it keeps the programme in the public eye.
The video of Gatwa’s regeneration was watched more time on X than it was on TV, so there’s a strong argument to be made about the internet having more clout right now than telly.
Either way: the BBC responded, not apologised. Being mindful is a good way of saying, “You fans will complain about anything.” Speaking of which, shall we complain about the Rani being eaten or Omega being a big boney chap, losing all his mystique and intrigue?
