Ncuti Gatwa takes aim at ‘Doctor Who’ in ‘SNL UK’ monologue: “About 12 of you watched me”
"I have since regenerated into Billie Piper. I don’t understand it either"
by Poppy Burton · NMEDuring the season finale of Saturday Night Live UK, host Ncuti Gatwa poked fun at his time starring in sci-fi hit Doctor Who.
In last night’s (May 16) monologue, Gatwa mocked the seemingly diminished enthusiasm for the latest seasons of the show, as well as the divisive ending of season 15, which saw Gatwa’s Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper.
“I’ve had so many fantastic roles in my career. 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 joked.
“Joking aside, it was genuinely a magical role. In fact, it was the first time my parents were truly proud of my career. When I told them I got the part, they said, ‘Finally, a doctor in the family.’ Even though I have since regenerated into Billie Piper … I don’t understand it either.”
I Hate Suzie star Piper first appeared in the series as the companion to the ninth Doctor in 2005, playing Rose Tyler alongside Christopher Eccleston’s Time Lord – and then again for the 10th Doctor played by David Tennant.
Her return to screens left it unclear if she would be playing the 16th Doctor, and fans took to social media to trade theories.
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Some noted that Piper was not introduced as the Doctor in the credits, as Gatwa had been previously, prompting them to comment: “She’s clearly not the Doctor but some Bad Wolf shenanigans.”
Concluding his SNL UK monologue, Gatwa said he still loved Doctor Who, because he “got to meet so many crazy characters, sort of a bit like this place”.
His former Sex Education co-star Aimee Lou Wood also took on SNL hosting duties recently, and got some closure while hosting an episode of the show, following a falling out with the American version for a sketch which she called “cruel and unfunny”.
In other SNL news, the UK version is now set for a second series. There will be a 12-episode run starting in September, with Lorne Michaels continuing to serve as executive producer.
Despite initial mixed reviews, SNL UK has proved a success for the Sky, and it has made headlines by satirising several recent news headlines such as a speech by US First Lady Melania Trump and the Kanye West Wireless controversy.