I’ve been loving Ncuti so far, definitely still felt like The Doctor to me before then, but I think Boom is what really sold me
I’ve been really liking seeing his compassion in the smaller moments as well, something about his delivery of the line at the end of 73 Yards telling Ruby not to open and read the paper was just really nice
I love Ncuti. It’s odd because there are elements of the 15th Doctor’s characterisation that seem very different from what has come before - particularly all the ‘honey’, ‘give me the loving’ stuff. Part of my brain wants to dislike that but Ncuti is just so infectiously joyous that I’m carried away by him.
The joy is what I also loved about Jodie - and detractors seemed to rail against for some reason - and it was what I also loved with Matt Smith. I think it might be why Capaldi ranks so low for me - the infectious joy at experiencing the universe just wasn’t there for me (atlhough I’m coming to appreciate 12 more on his own terms now I’m rewatching some of his episodes).
Ncuti’s great, his performance is outstanding and joyous and he makes the character just by being the guy playing him. As a character, separate from context, 15 is still pretty great.
Really do not buy him as the Doctor though. Does not feel like a millennia old time immortal, just feels like an eccentric guy, even after Boom did wonders for his character. RTD always writes the Doctor as pretty human but this leans way too far into it.
There’s not much in Troughton, Pertwee, Davison’s or to be honest any of the Doctors beyond maybe Tom and Capaldi that makes me think of them as a ‘millenia old time immortal’. Most of the time, the Doctor is just a ‘madman in a box’, an eccentric making it up as he goes along. Yes, sometimes he can be devious and sinister and calculating and we haven’t seen that in Ncuti yet but there’s still plenty of time. Colin went ‘sinister’ hard and fast and look how that ended up 
.
I more meant following all the character work post-time war, 15 feels like a backtrack in characterisation. Following on from incarnations like 12 (and 13 I guess but if she had a significant character arc, I can’t for the life of me remember it) it just doesn’t feel natural. I’m not really asking for cold and calculating but there’s always been an air of mysticism to the Doctor, no matter how young they act. 11 is youthful and full of energy but there’s always a tired wisdom behind his eyes and that element of the character, which I personally find integral, I just can’t seem to pin down in 15 and if his character remains consistent, I doubt this’ll be added in later. But hey, I’m not clairvoyant, I guess we’ll see.
But to be fair, they have set 15 up as leaving behind the trauma with 14 and setting off afresh and anew. It seems to be very much the point of entry for this incarnation.
To be honest, the Time War angst was already tiresome with Tennant - especially the Time Lord Victorious stuff - so I’m definitely not going to be waiting for that to arrive in Ncuti’s portrayal.
Time War angst isn’t really a defining Doctor trait, in any case; half the Doctors didn’t have it.
Though 15 does already have the “my people are dead, only they aren’t my people, and I’ve got a granddaughter, Susan. and she’s dead, too” thing going, so it’s kinda already there…
I wasn’t referring to “time war angst” in particular, just the characterisation in the revival since it’s most topical to 15. My main point was referring to an overlying alienness that exists in every incarnation but is barely recognisable in 15. Like I said, I don’t need the Doctor to be dark and brooding, that’s not my point at all, I’m saying 15 is written too much like a human being and is missing those fundamental idiosyncrasies that make up the core of the character.
How would you square that with Five who was often described as being very human in characterisation?
Well, pre-13, Five was my least favourite Doctor just because I had the least to say about him. I still don’t have much to say on him (I think sandwiched between the far more interesting Four and Six he came off as very bland) so I’m not hugely qualified to judge the character but I think there was still this disconnect from humanity; he had the same alien boastfulness as Six at times and you could clearly see the difference between him and his companions, though that’s probably just a by-product of the JNT era.
Ncuti is energetic and Doctor Who needs this energy for the soft reboot. I do believe they should have waited till Ncuti schedule was more free before filming this season. I may be criticlzed for this but maybe not rest everything on RTD shoulders for the soft reboot.
I don’t mind that he’s not in every episode (assuming Dot and Bubble is also Doctor-lite). I’d rather have Doctor-lite episodes than no Doctor Who on TV for another year!
And even Doctor-lite episodes can often be amazing. Turn Left, Blink, 73 Yards… all top tier episodes IMO!
This is true - I’m just not sure I want two in a row for a new Doctor’s first season. But needs must and as you say, Doctor-lite Doctor Who is better than no Doctor Who and we’ve waited long enough for that.
That and modern seasons are so short that two Doctor-lite episodes would be a fourth of the season being Doctor-lite…
Let’s remember that they’re not making Doctor-lite episodes for the fun of it. There’s always a real-world production-related reason for them. 20 years ago they were needed to make it possible to churn pit 13 episodes a year within the allotted time and budget restrictions. For this series, they had to begin filming to remain on schedule, but Ncuti was still busy with Sex Education, so the best way to get around this issue was to have at least one (maybe two) Doctor-lite episodes. That’s just how it is and fortunately, this shouldn’t be a problem in Season 2 (and beyond).
Anyway, I like Ncuti a lot so far. He’s shown an amazing emotional range and, as said by others above, he has an infectious energy and an adventurous spirit. I don’t know how to rank him yet, but I can see some 11th Doctor qualities in him, so he might end up in my top 3 eventually.
I thought Ncuti was inspired casting when it was announced from what little I saw and, to be perfectly honest, he hasn’t let me down, even if some of his episodes have.
I knew we wouldn’t get a traditional Doctor and even though I was pleasantly surprised how Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor didn’t grate on me at all like his Tenth did I still wasn’t prepared for how Ncuti came in and basically just took the show away from Tennant through sheer force of personality. I’m one of those not especially keen on the bigeneration for the fact that it left the other Doctor hanging around (if they had merged again afterwards then I think I’d have enjoyed that more) but I still got something from it thanks to Ncuti.
And this has continued throughout the series so far - even when I haven’t really loved an episode. With each episode there’s another Doctor he overtakes in my preferences and so by the end of his run I really do think he could emerge as one of the very best, if he continues this streak that is!
He is simultaneously the same character and completely brand new, which is precisely how it should be. I don’t think a new Doctor has won me over this quickly since Matt Smith and one of the things I’m excited about every week is to watch the Fifteenth Doctor.
I should also point out that I think he’s paired exceptionally well with Millie Gibson. I think she is supernaturally talented and the two of them make for an instantly fantastic TARDIS team. If Ncuti is rising through my favourite Doctors list as we go on, Millie is rising through my favourite companions even more rapidly!
The series itself and this new era might not have won me over just yet but the two leads definitely have.
Really agree that Ncuti and Millie together is a delight, they really have that chaotic best friends vibe down paired with an abundance of pure energy.
I have a bit of the same feeling I had during series 11 - the scripts didn’t fully explore the potential of the Doctor. Like with Ncuti now I loved what Jodie was doing, but felt like she was somewhat limited by the variety and range of the stories being told that first season.
Could not agree more, I was really worried that bringing Tennant back was going to completely overshadow Gatwa, but I am delighted to have been wrong because Gatwa is wonderful. I do still fear them bringing Tennant out for random surprises but I am pleased that Gatwa and Millie Gibson are so awesome together
I always thought I was being blasphemous with my opinion that there are a good handful of Doctors who don’t come across as alien at all. Good to know that’s not the case.
I have no problems with Doctor lite episodes, just want them to make sure Ncuti gets every chance to shine as the Doctor. They are after all with a new streaming partner. This is why we got the specials with Tennant so a Doctor was still on screen while they was waiting for Ncuti.
No autocorrect I am not trying to say N cut I 