Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa brushed off the growing concerns surrounding the show’s future, as he and new companion Varada Sethu kickstarted the promotional trail for the new series.
Taking the TARDIS across the Atlantic, the pair travelled to the top of New York’s iconic Empire State Building for a photocall.
Showing off his kooky sense of style, Ncuti posed up a storm in a denim shacket and matching shorts.
Meanwhile Varada, who will play The Doctor’s new companion Belinda Chandra, was dressed in an eye-catching camel trench coat with a matching skirt.
Posing atop the legendary landmark, the pair kicked off promotions for the long-awaited new series, which will be released on BBC in the UK and Disney+ internationally on April 12.
Audiences will join The Doctor and Belinda on an epic quest across the series to get the nurse back to Earth.
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa brushed off the growing concerns surrounding the show’s future, as he and new companion Varada Sethu kickstarted the promotions for the new series
Taking the TARDIS across the Atlantic, the pair travelled to the top of New York’s iconic Empire State Building for a photocall
Showing off his kooky sense of style, Ncuti posed up a storm in a denim shacket and matching shorts, amid rumours he’s set to leave the show after the upcoming second series
But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, ferocious enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.
The series will also feature of a string of guest stars including presenter and former X Factor star Rylan, who will play himself, the co-host of the Interstellar Song Contest, in an episode that’s been dubbed ‘Eurovision in space.’
Also featured is actor Alan Cumming, 60, who voices the villainous cartoon character, Mr Ring-a-Ding.
It comes amid fears that Doctor Who is reportedly facing the axe, while lead actor Ncuti is thought to be on the verge of quitting.
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.
The actor joined the show in 2023 after Jodie Whittaker bowed out as the Time Lord, but it’s rumoured that he’s set to walk away from the BBC show after just two seasons.
According to reports, a decision of the show’s future will only be decided by bosses once Ncuti’s second series hits screens later this year.
It is thought that Ncuti has already filmed his regeneration exit scene, with crews allegedly fearing that this could spell the end of the series after a whopping 62 years.
Posing atop the legendary landmark, the pair kicked off promotions for the long-awaited new series, which will be released on BBC in the UK and Disney+ internationally on April 12
Meanwhile Varada, who will play The Doctor’s new companion Belinda Chandra, was dressed in an eye-catching camel trench coat with a matching skirt
Audiences will join The Doctor and Belinda on an epic quest across the series to get the nurse back to Earth
It comes amid fears that Doctor Who is reportedly facing the axe, while lead actor Ncuti is thought to be on the verge of quitting
A source told The Sun: ‘Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.
‘His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.’
They continued: ‘The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership.’
The insider added that people had warned that the episodes were becoming ‘too caught up on an agenda’ rather than focusing ‘telling a story’, with those people apparently being ‘shouted down’ and ‘ignored.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives of BBC and Ncuti for comment.
According to the publication, Ncuti’s first series attracted between ‘2.25million and 3.18million viewers’, much less than previous series’.
However, a Doctor Who spokesperson added to The Sun: ‘This story is incorrect. Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes — and exactly half of those still have to transmit.’
Ncuti was the first black actor to take on the leading role as The Doctor, after Jodie made history as the first permanent female Time Lord in 2017.
He became a household name when he starred as gay teenager Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education.
