Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who performance has David Tennant's seal of approval: "God, he's good casting"

Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who
(Image credit: BBC)

Ncuti Gatwa has big shoes to fill when he takes over the role of the Doctor from David Tennant, but the latter has nothing but praise for his Doctor Who successor.

"I have managed to admire, from afar, a little bit of Ncuti," Tennant tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features the actor as Doctor Who on the cover. "I’ve been sneaky. I’ve been sniffing around the studios today, and I may have crept on set at one point. God, he’s good casting. It’s very exciting to think about what’s gonna happen to the show when he takes over."

Tennant's hotly anticipated return to the role of the Doctor celebrates the show's 60th anniversary, which will be marked with three specials airing weekly in November and December. He'll be joined by Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, who originally traveled with the Doctor back in 2008 in the show's fourth season (as well as a couple of appearances in festive specials), and another companion from eras past is also seemingly making a comeback. Eagle-eyed fans spotted Bonnie Langford's Mel Bush, who was the Doctor's companion in the mid-'80s, in a new trailer for the specials.  

Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials begin on November 25.

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The above is just a snippet from our interview with Tennant, which you can see more of in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, November 1. Keep up to date with all things SFX by signing up to the newsletter, which sends all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.

I'm the Editor of SFX, the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – available digitally and in print every four weeks since 1995. I've been editing magazines, and writing for numerous publications since before the Time War. Obviously SFX is the best one. I knew being a geek would work out fine.

With contributions from
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