Ncuti Gatwa Breaks A Doctor Who Tradition For Only The Third Time In 60 Years

Ncuti Gatwa's Unique Doctor

Ncuti Gatwa makes his first appearance as the Fifteenth Doctor in 60th anniversary episode 'The Giggle,' but was forced to share the spotlight with David Tennant after Doctor Who's divisive bi-generation twist.

Millie Gibson as Ruby and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor looking at each other back to back in Doctor Who

Thanks to his unconventional regeneration, Ncuti Gatwa is already a very different incarnation of the Doctor, utterly unlike any that came before. Fifteen's uniqueness is also reflected by his not-very-screwdriver-like sonic screwdriver, his penchant for clubbing, and his firmer grasp on fashion compared to past Doctor Who regenerations.

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in the Doctor Who 2023 Christmas special

'The Church on Ruby Road' doubles down on setting Ncuti Gatwa starkly apart from previous Doctors by dropping a long-standing tradition that has seldom been broken before.

Ncuti Gatwa as Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby dressed in 60s fashion in Doctor Who images

Doctor Who's Costume Tradition Break

Despite arguably being the most fashionable owner the TARDIS has ever had, Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor does not get a costume change sequence in Doctor Who's 2023 Christmas episode.

The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) with clouds behind him and his tie undone in Doctor Who.

In the modern era, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker have all received a scene or two designed to introduce and explain their new outfits - even if Capaldi's was simply asking Clara what she thought of his new look.

An image of Jodie Whittaker holding a sonic screwdriver in Doctor Who

Ncuti Gatwa joins William Hartnell and Christopher Eccleston as the only Doctors who appear in Doctor Who having already settled into their new costumes.

An image of the Ninth Doctor trying to protect Rose in Doctor Who

The Fifteenth Doctor's Early Days

Beyond just ignoring how the new Doctor chooses his outfit, Doctor Who's 2023 Christmas special also skips entirely over Fifteen's early days as the Time Lord's latest incarnation.

Mike Tucker's Doctor Who Season 27 TARDIS and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor

Post-regeneration Doctor Who episodes from years gone by showed the newly-revitalized protagonist struggling from regeneration sickness, getting a new sonic screwdriver, convincing companions they're still the same person, and, in Six's case, being very rude.

Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa approaching the TARDIS

'The Church on Ruby Road' avoids all of the above.

William Hartnell as The First Doctor looks slyly in Doctor Who