The section about Doctor Who is pretty short, compared to his biography, day to day life, and the rest of his career:
And transform he did – into Doctor Who. Gatwa got a lot of praise for his role as the 15th incarnation of the Doctor. But in the end he was only in it for two series (the shortest run of any Doctor, apart from Christopher Eccleston). He loved being the Doctor, he says, and immersed himself in it entirely. “But I was tired and burnt out at the end of series two. It was exhausting. But it was a magical time, magical.
“There was never an opportunity to recoup the energy – it’s just go, go, go. I was doing seven-day weeks for eight months, and I found it hard being away from home and family. I’d already been shooting in Cardiff for five years (on and off) prior to that with Sex Education, and we started shooting Doctor Who while I was still doing Season four of Sex Ed.”
It was a difficult decision to make, to not continue. He got good reviews, but the ratings were falling – although his version of the Doctor attracted a new demographic. But it was Gatwa’s own decision to leave, he says. “I had to wrestle with myself – I fell in love with that show. I’ll miss it, but I was ready to move on.”
