Now, during an appearance on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Gatwa has spoken out about his reasons for leaving the BBC’s sci-fi juggernaut.
“Why did you walk away from Doctor Who?” Kuenssberg asked him.
“Because I’m getting old and my body was tired,” the actor replied. “I’ve now just started doing some ballet, so I’m making some good decisions here.
“It’s the most amazing job in the world,” he continued. “It’s a job that any actor would dream of. And because it’s so good, it’s strenuous, it takes a lot out of you physically, emotionally, mentally.
“So, I – it was time,” he added.
Despite the toll – physical, mental and emotional – Gatwa hasn’t ruled out popping back into the world of Doctor Who again in the future.
When Kuenssberg pressed him on whether he could make another appearance in the vein of David Tennant’s return, he simply replied: “Never say never.”
It’s not the first time Gatwa has alluded to the pressures of playing the Doctor.
Speaking in a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube following his exit, he said: “It was always the plan to do this amount of seasons, because it’s a role that demands a lot of you, physically and emotionally and mentally.
“Actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor, unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life but my knees are telling me it’s time.”
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ outside of the UK.
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