Ncuti Gatwa ‘AXED from Doctor Who after pulling out of Eurovision gig’ and show to be ‘put on pause’ amid falling ratings and ‘woke’ storylines

Ncuti Gatwa has been axed as Doctor Who after just two series as woke storylines saw ratings for the much-loved show fall through the floor, it was claimed today.

The BBC programme is also said to have been paused for an extended break amid criticism about plots about non-binary aliens and incels.

Fans of the show have also lamented some of the programme’s best loved villains being given ‘woke’ facelifts. In one episode Ncuti’s Doctor admitted he was gay.

It came after Gatwa’s withdrawal from presenting the UK’s Eurovision jury scores on Saturday night after Israel made the final. Gatwa has previously been vocal in his support for Palestine.

The current Doctor Who is yet to comment but the BBC has said that claims he has already been axed are ‘pure speculation’.

There have also been rumours Mr Gatwa was planning to walk away himself and concentrate on breaking Hollywood. 

‘As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs’, a BBC spokesman said. 

There was some anger as the announcement Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti had withdrawn from presenting Eurovision came moments after Israel’s Yuval Raphael – a survivor of the October 7 attacks – qualified for the final with her song New Day Will Rise. She ended up finishing second to Austria last Saturday. Sophie Ellis-Bextor stepped in for him.

A TV insider reportedly said: ‘If the final nail wasn’t already in the coffin, it was well and truly hammered in after that.

‘Bosses were incredibly disappointed. Ncuti, as the Doctor, is one of the corporation’s most high-profile faces.

Ncuti Gatwa has been axed as Doctor Who after just two series, it was claimed today

The announcement that Ncuti had withdrawn from presenting Eurovision was made moments after Israel’s Yuval Raphael – a survivor of the October 7 attacks – qualified with her song New Day Will Rise

The source told The Sun: ‘His withdrawal was incredibly embarrassing. It caps what has been a largely depressing tenure in the Tardis for Ncuti.’

Representatives for Ncuti, the BBC and Disney+ were contacted by MailOnline for comment.

Ncuti caused problems when he pulled out of Eurovision last week, when Israel made the final.   

BBC bosses had Sophie Ellis-Bextor on stand-by to reveal the UK’s jury results on last night’s Eurovision song contest ‘for some time’ as they believed Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa would ‘change his mind’.

Sources told the Mail on Sunday that executives were left ‘cross’ and ‘exasperated’ by the 32-year-old actor’s last minute decision.

A statement issued by the BBC last Thursday said: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend.’

Gatwa has been vocal in his support for Palestine, sharing photographs of Free Palestine graffiti in Italy on his Instagram and posting links to fundraisers for Palestinian causes.

After it was revealed he would be delivering the UK’s points to BBC viewers, he was inundated with negative feedback on social media from fans.

One told Gatwa to ‘read the room’, while another said: ‘I would usually be excited but I’m boycotting until Israel is given the same treatment as Russia.’

Ahead of the final, a source admitted that BBC producers had ‘suspected that he would change his mind about the role’ and that his stand-in, Sophie Ellis-Bextor had been ‘in place for some time’.

Ncuti Gatwa, 32, appeared in Saturday night’s Eurovision-inspired Doctor Who episode hours after withdrawing from presenting the contest’s Final (pictured May 2025)

Despite their anger, however, executives have attempted to play down the link between his decision to stand down and his pro-Palestinian views.

They claimed an announcement about his withdrawal was actually made on Radio 2 three minutes before Ms Raphael’s place in the final with her song New Day Will Rise was confirmed, closely followed by a social media post five minutes later.

The BBC source said: ‘The announcement was first made on BBC Radio 2 by Richie Anderson and Sara Cox three minutes before Israel qualified for the final. The statement was then issued on social media five minutes later, which was coincidentally two minutes after Israel qualified.’

The Scottish actor, 32, joined the cast of Doctor Who in 2023 for the 14th season after Jodie Whittaker – the first female Doctor – bowed out.

Ncuti’s first series attracting between 2-3million viewers in overnight ratings and, while the BBC argued that consolidated figures which included iPlayer viewers are more like 5million, this audience represents a tiny fraction of the sort of numbers it used to attract.

Fans of the show have also lamented some of the programme’s best loved villains being given ‘woke’ facelifts. 

It is said that Ncuti has already filmed his regeneration exit scene, with crews allegedly fearing that this could spell the end of the series after more than 60 years [Ncuti pictured in 2023] 

The long-running sci-fi show has suffered a huge drop in ratings of late, with fans said to be fed up of the injection of woke storylines [Ncuti pictured with co-star  Millie Gibson]

Davros, the gaunt, disfigured creator of the Daleks, had been forced to use a wheelchair and mobile life-support system since his introduction to Doctor Who in 1975.

But Russell T Davies apparently disliked the fact Davros was a ‘wheelchair-user who is evil’ and, when he returned in 2023, Davros appeared able-bodied and sporting a new, younger look.

But the changes, which many blame on a Disney deal, have left those who have previously worked on the show unimpressed.

Gatwa is also said to have grown increasingly frustrated by how the show is run – and is keen to move to Hollywood to pursue other opportunities.

A BBC spokeswoman said earlier this year ‘Doctor Who has not been shelved’. 

An insider said: ‘Everything is now pointing in the direction of a prolonged break once the next series has aired. It will be back to the drawing boards for the Doctor Who team.’

Doctor Who? All the actors who have played the Time Lord

The BBC’s hit Sci-fi show Doctor Who was first launched by the BBC in 1963. It chronicles the journey of a Time Lord called ‘The Doctor’.

He is first introduced after fleeing his home planet, Gallifrey.

The Doctor travels through time and space in his spaceship, called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which resembles a police box.

During his travels, The Doctor meets people and invites them to voyage with him. They are known as his companions. 

He also encounters several evil beings, such as Daleks and Cyberman, and is forced to defeat them sing minimal resources, such as his Sonic Screwdriver, as they try to destroy or take over other planets, including Earth.

As a Time Lord, The Doctor has the capacity to regenerate when he is wounded or dying. After regenerating, he takes on a new appearance and personality.

The concept of regenerating was added into the series after the First Doctor, William Hartnell, became ill and stepped down from his role. 

The first run of Doctor Who ended in 1989 before being revived in 2005 with Christopher Ecclestone as the Ninth Doctor. 

Below is the full list of the actors who have been cast as the Doctor from 1963 to 2017 – when Jodie Whittaker took over the coveted role.

Starting the legacy: The First Doctor William Hartnell (1963-1966)

Second and Third: Patrick Troughton (1966–1969) and Jon Pertwee (1970–1974)

Fourth and Fifth: Tom Baker (1974–1981) and Peter Davison (1981–1984)

Sixth and Seventh: Colin Baker (1984–1986) and Sylvester McCoy (1987–1989, 1996)

Eighth and Ninth: Paul McGann (1996) and Christopher Eccleston (2005)

Tenth and Eleventh: David Tennant (2005-2010) and Matt Smith (2010-2013)

Twelfth: Peter Capaldi (2013 – 2017)

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