16 November 2023 , 18:27
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Russell T Davies is bringing the first-ever Doctor Who back from the dead in the upcoming series.
The showrunner has used technical wizardry worthy of a Time Lord to create scenes featuring William Hartnell, who died in 1975, alongside Ncuti Gatwa. As he was honoured by GQ magazine at the Men of the Year ceremony, Ncuti revealed: “It has been a crazy year. I shouldn’t say this but I shot a scene, somehow, with the first-ever Doctor, William Hartnell. We end up in the same scene together at some point.
“To see that history – now a Black man as the Doctor! It was just very wild.” William starred as the first Doctor from 1963 to 1966, describing the character as “a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas ”. He reprised his role in the franchise’s 10th anniversary The Three Doctors in the early 1970s, which was his final job as an actor as his health had declined.
Doctor Who returns later this month (BBC / James Pardon)Tapes of the first series were famously lost due to the BBC ’s policy of discarding old reels in the 1960s. Reports last week claimed some of the original recordings have been found but that the collector is reluctant to share them with the BBC.
The latest series returns on November 25, with three episodes featuring the 10th and 14th Doctor, David Tennant, and his companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, before the character is regenerated as Ncuti.
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