Saturday Night Live UK concluded its first season with Ncuti Gatwa as host. According to Deadline, the Doctor Who actor was all smiles in his opening monologue, taking shots at the sci-fi show’s dismal ratings during his tenure as the Time Lord. View the full monologue below.
“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,” said Gatwa via Deadline. He continued trolling at how “magical” the role was, even reaping praise from his parents for the first time in his 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 still love Doctor Who, and I got to meet so many crazy characters, sort of a bit like this place,” said Gatwa according to Deadline.
It’s been four years this month since Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor, following Jodie Whitaker’s (Attack the Block, Frauds) tenure. He was the first Black actor to assume the role after Whitaker became the franchise’s first female lead. Gatwa departed his long-running role on the coming-of-age Netflix series, Sex Education, for the major role.
At the time, Gatwa was apprehensive about the reaction to him assuming a role previously made popular by white straight actors.
“The British press can be very mean,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I just have to focus on the job and stay true to what the Doctor is: a mad scientist alien who has adventures and cares about everyone.”
His time on the show was met with adversity, as the series experienced a major drop in ratings. Deadline reports season 15 averaged 3.8M viewers on BBC, 1M drop via data from Barb, the UK’s rating system. The series also withstood a different avenue for U.S. viewers, as the BBC partnered with Disney Plus to stream new episodes in the United States. This partnership ended in October of last year, citing more issues than just the ratings.
With the first season under its belt, SNL UK will have much to do in preparation for its second season. Season two is scheduled for a September premiere.