Doctor Who fans say Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor is missing one key thing
BBC/Disney+Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor is energetic and brilliant to watch, but Doctor Who fans say his version of the Time Lord is missing one crucial thing.
While the new Doctor Who episodes have been inconsistent by way of quality, (check out our ‘Dot and Bubble’ review to see what we thought of the newest installment!), one thing has prevailed: Ncuti Gatwa’s take on the Doctor.
The Sex Education star has proved he’s a tour de force as the Time Lord. While it’s taken Doctor Who Season 14 a little time to provide him with the creativity and story to show what he can do, it’s also proved that Gatwa has plenty of potential and will grow with the role. However, fans have noted one thing he’s missing, and it’s an integral part of the Doctor’s history: a signature outfit.
For as long as Doctor Who has aired, each version of the Time Lord has maintained a recognizable look that makes each regeneration stand out from the rest. Whether it’s a scarf, an umbrella shaped like a question mark, or a brown trench coat, most of the Doctors have a very specific outfit that come to mind.
But Ncuti Gatwa is the exception, since he wears a different outfit in each episode of Season 14. He both dresses up to blend into the time period and rotates a variety of “normal” looking clothes, but he doesn’t wear the same thing repeatedly. It’s something that fans have noticed, and it’s also something they wish would change.
As one fan on Reddit wrote: “I kinda wish he had one main outfit or type of outfit with slight variation like the other Doctors did… when you have a character as iconic as the Doctor, it would be cool if there was like a main outfit so that anyone trying to cosplay as the character would have something recognizable, so you could go: ‘Oh that right there is the Doctor.'”
Another added: “Honestly the bottom left and the top right outfits are Doctor outfits. I wish they’d have just stuck with those and made different variations. Different colored trousers/sweaters each week, but the same coat.”
“I do agree as well,” said a third. “Or maybe like have one reoccurring clothing item, like a really awesome trench coat or something? That way, no matter what other outfit he’s wearing, that piece of clothing is always tied to this Doctor.”
“I love that he plays with different fits but he really needs something that is ‘his’, very much how the leather jacket and jumper were Nine’s, the pinstripes and trenchcoat were Ten’s, suspenders and a bowtie were Eleven’s, etc. So far I don’t feel like Fifteen has a “thing” yet,” said one comment.
Cosplay seems to be a main issue here, with Doctor Who being a very popular IP for fans to partake in dressing as their favorite character. If Fifteen doesn’t have a signature look, it’ll make it all the more tricky for fans to nail him down for conventions and such. Still, one thing is certain: his outfits, while ever-changing, are always spectacular.
For more Who, check out all the biggest Season 14 theories going around. You can also keep tabs on all the Doctor Who Season 14 villains, and find out when the new episode of Doctor Who is out.