What does everyone think of the 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatwa so far?
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I’m not 100% sold on the overall vibe of the series, but I think Gatwa himself is absolutely phenomenal - I think he is so charming and vibrant, and I can’t wait for him to get more episodes to showcase who his Doctor can be
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Ncuti is an absolute joy to watch and absolutely feels like the Doctor in every second he’s on screen, but I have felt like the particular details of what kind of Doctor 15 is haven’t fully clicked for me yet, and I think a lot of that is down to the fact that he’s only really had one episode so far with a more serious tone. Really hoping that he clicks a bit more for me by the end of the season, but also it took until S12 for 13 to properly click for me and she’s one of my two favs, so even if he doesn’t I expect he will eventually and when he does I think he’ll really start to be one of my favorites. Until then, I’m thoroughly enjoying watching him but would probably place him somewhere sorta in the middle of my rankings
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Episodes are so far hit or miss, with the hits being spectacular and the misses being a terrible bore (at least on first impression).
No complaints about Fifteen himself. Ncuti’s a great fit for the role, as is Millie. They have great camaraderie. I’m not a fan of how Ruby’s another Chosen One Companion, though. I usually don’t care for manic pixie/happy-go-lucky characters, but somehow Thirteen grew on me, and because of that I don’t mind how exuberant Fifteen is. My only complaint, which isn’t really a complaint, is that so far Fifteen doesn’t seem very Doctor-like to me. I don’t know why that is; it could be because of how “normal” he seems to act and dress*, but like Flora said, I think he needs a good, serious episode to showcase that Time Lord aspect of him.
*I also feel this way about some other Doctors, so I’m not just attributing this to Fifteen
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I really enjoy him as the Doctor.
This time it didn’t take me too long to like the new Doctor which is rare, usually it takes a while longer so, I definitely like him a lot already.
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I like Fifteen. Not so fond of most of his episodes so far, other than 73 Yards which is phenomenal but he is barely in, but I’m sure at least one of the remaining 4 I will enjoy a lot. Looking forward to the novels coming out soon!
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Ncuti is an absolutely incredible performer, I can’t praise him enough. I’m loving Fifteen as a result—even in episodes I haven’t loved he’s a burst of energy! He’s reminding me a lot of Eight, who is after all my favourite Doctor, so that’s a delight. Really hoping he does three or even four series, what with the reduced episode count.
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I guess I am not totally convinced by him yet, it’s a bit in flux with his performance for me.
- I loved him in the Giggle
- Bit meh about him in Church
- Loved him in Space Babies
- Very meh about him in the Devil’s Chord
- Absolutely adored him in Boom
- Not enough to go on in 73 Yards
He has a fantastic energy about him that I really like, but other than in Boom I haven’t really had that “This is the Doctor” feeling. Sure it will come to me at some point, always does 
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I really like him! As everyone has already said, Ncuti is a fantastic actor, but I do feel we haven’t really had a chance to see him be very Doctor-y, for lack of a better term. I hope we get something soon.
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He is already very close to being “favourite Doctor” for me, which is mad because it normally takes a long time for me to enjoy the new Doctor.
I think he is a phenomenal actor, his chemistry with Millie is wonderful, and he injects a new life into the show which I am absolutely here for 
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As other have said, the episodes are hit-and-miss to me.
As for Ncuti Gatwa, I’m still not sold on him as The Doctor. Nothing strikes me as very Doctor-y. Yes, I know that is subjective, and interpretations have been different for every Doctor etc etc. But for me, it just doesn’t hit, pretty much at all.
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I really like him as the Doctor. To early to say favorite for me because of the lack of episodes but he will be high on my ranking. Who am I kidding no other than Tenant will ever be my favorite. But he is in the top 4 with Troughton and Smith.
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The way I always try to think about it is not to look at the Doctor’s actual episodes but how I think they would handle the best material of the franchise. By those standards Gatwa might just be one of my favourite Doctors - I think if he gets episodes on the level of Chimes of Midnight or Heaven Sent, Ncuti could flourish like few others before him.
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Interesting way of thinking about it. What other Doctors do you rank high?
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I change the list constantly but do try and keep track, but haven’t updated the list in a while.
Nevertheless, my favourite Doctors ranked (when you try to parse out the writing and just examine the performances) are as follows:
15 Third
14. Thirteenth
13. Fifth
12. Fugitive
11. First
10. Ninth
9. Eighth
8. Eleventh
7. War
6. Seventh
5. Second
4. Sixth
3. Tenth
2. Twelfth
1 Fourth
I still haven’t even tried to figure out where I would put Ncuti exactly, and the Third Doctor ranking at the bottom hurts my soul, but I think he lacks a certain range compared to the others. This is far from an exact ranking though. I am just sharing a draft of sorts I have been thinking of for some time.
Big Finish and the like are relevant and helped the Sixth Doctor A LOT.
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Very interesting. I have always thought that 13 would be an amazing Doctor if the material would have been better. But it looks like you disagree with me in that?
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Oh, how I have struggled with ranking the Thirteenth Doctor. It is hard to tell and I hope we see her in Big Finish more so I can refine this opinion. I’ll be honest, I originally started this list to try and redeem Jodie a bit. The thing is though, I struggle to imagine her doing better than the other Doctors in stuff like horror, tragedy, or action episodes. I also really struggle to imagine her as a master manipulator like the Seventh Doctor could be.
Even when I factored in some of Jodie’s performances and even interviews outside of her time as the Doctor, it only helped so much. I do think she is great at conveying a sense of whimsy, which is important for the role, and would be interesting to see interact more with some of Who’s best companions. I did also consider it relevant that she was the first female Doctor.
This is all very subjective and based on feelings, but even then, this is the highest I’ve ever managed to rate her. It is frustrating, honestly.
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I don’t think the Third Doctor comes across as being very Doctor-like either (if that’s what your list is supposed to portray). He was one of the Doctors I was thinking of when I wrote my original comment.
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Ooh, I agree with almost everything you write. It might just be wishful thinking but I think that she has a wider range of an actress than she showed in this show. I don’t remember Broadchurch but I know that I was excited to see her as the Doctor after that. Let’s hope that she does Big Finish soon.
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How “Doctor-like” they are is an excellent expression of what I am going for here!
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