Ncuti Gatwa used his Saturday Night Live UK hosting turn in London to poke fun at the ratings and storylines that shadowed his time on Doctor Who. In the opening monologue, he told the audience, “Millions of you watched me as Eric in Sex Education, and then about 12 of you watched me in Doctor Who. Maybe that’s why I kept crying.”
He followed the joke by calling the role “genuinely a magical” part of his career, saying his parents were proud when he got the job and telling them, “Finally, a doctor in the family.” Gatwa added, “Even though I have since regenerated into Billie Piper … I don’t understand it either … I still love Doctor Who, and I got to meet so many crazy characters, sort of a bit like this place.”
The comments landed at a messy moment for the series. Gatwa left Doctor Who last year after a run that drew mixed reviews, and the show has been facing an alarming drop in viewing figures. Season 15 averaged 3.8 million viewers in 28-day Barb figures, down 1 million from the previous season. By comparison, Jodie Whittaker’s final season in 2021 was watched by 5.2 million people.
There is also a wider business picture behind the numbers. Disney ended its co-production deal with the for Doctor Who, a sign of how much momentum the series has lost. Gatwa’s first Doctor Who season was produced by Bad Wolf, but the audience decline persisted through season 15, reinforcing the pressure around the franchise as it tries to steady itself.
For Gatwa, the monologue was also a way to turn a difficult chapter into something warmer and more personal. He did not deny the uneven reaction to his run; he leaned into it, then returned to the affection he still has for the show. That is the answer the joke supplied for viewers who came in wondering whether he would address Doctor Who head-on: he did, and he did it with the kind of bluntness that made the line land.
The appearance came as Saturday Night Live UK’s first season is coming to an end, even as the show has already been renewed for a second season set to premiere in September. Gatwa’s monologue gave the launch of that next season a ready-made talking point, while also closing the loop on a role that brought him pride at home, frustration in the ratings and, at least for one night in London, a packed room ready to laugh at both.
