Doctor Who: Neil Patrick Harris Comments on Ncuti Gatwa's "Sexier" Doctor
Doctor Who will enter its next era with Ncuti Gatwa playing the Fourteenth Doctor in the show's 60th anniversary season. The new era brings back former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate in guest roles. It will also feature Neil Patrick Harris playing the Doctor's mysterious new villain (though some fans believe they've unraveled the mystery). Gatwa has received support from those he's worked with on other projects, including his Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling wearing a bootleg T-shirt featuring fan art of Gatwa as the Doctor. Now Harris has spoken up about working with Gatwa on the upcoming season of Doctor Who.
"I got to meet and interact with him a bit and he's glorious," Harris tells Variety of Gatwa while promoting his new Netflix series, Uncoupled. "He'll be the first gay Doctor, which is going to be super cool, a sexier Doctor."
While announcing Harris' role in Doctor Who, Davies, who worked with Harris previously on the miniseries It's a Sin, said in a statement, "It's my huge honor to open our studio doors for the mighty Neil Patrick Harris… but who, why, what is he playing? You'll just have to wait. But I promise you, the stuff we're shooting now is off the scale. Doctor beware!"
Harris is but one guest star in the new season of Doctor Who. Heartstopper breakout Yasmin Finney will play a new character named Rose (not that Rose), reportedly Donna Noble's daughter.
"Life on Doctor Who gets brighter and wilder, how can there be another Rose? You'll find out in 2023, but it's an absolute joy to welcome Yasmin to the Doctor Who set," Davies said when announcing Finney's character. "We all fell in love with her in Heartstopper, one of those shows which changes the world – and now Yasmin can change the Whoniverse!"
Davies has been cryptic about Tennant and Tate's returns. "Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick or flashback. The only thing I can confirm is it's going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime."
Doctor Who is filming now, but the 60th anniversary season of Doctor Who won't air until 2023. This year, fans will still bid farewell to Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor and current series showrunner Chris Chibnall in the upcoming Doctor Who BBC Centenary Special. The episode brings back two classic Doctor Who companions. The episode debuts in the fall. You can get caught up on Doctor Who with our streaming binge guide to the series.