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Ncuti Gatwa shared the first look of his Doctor Who character as a Barbie doll days after reportedly being axed from the BBC series. In a post on Instagram on Friday, May 23, 2025, the actor shared a series of pictures, including one of himself, all smiles, while holding a "15th Doctor" Barbie doll, modeled after his character in Doctor Who.
In the other pictures, he struck several poses alongside his Barbie doll and also shared a close-up look at the doll's details. This included its realistic face and its striped orange and pink shirt under a long brown jacket. In the caption, he wrote:
"6 year old Ncuti would be BESIDE himself right now."
He also made a shoutout and thanked everyone who made the project happen, including Barbie, BBC, Disney, and the toy company Mattel. Additionally, he thanked someone named Megan for supplying the t-shirt he wore in one of the pictures, which was a pink one with the words, "My job is Doctor."
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As seen in the Doctor Who star's Instagram post, there's also a Barbie modeled after Millie Gibson's character in the series, Ruby Sunday. The doll was dressed in her furry-trimmed jacket, plaid skirt, and boots.
Ncuti Gatwa reacts to his Doctor Who Barbie doll amid speculations that he was axed from the series
The miniature model of Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor character was unveiled by Mattel during the MCM London Comic Con on May 23, 2025. This also marks the toy company's first-ever appearance at the event. The fan-first reveal included the Barbie dolls sculpted in the character likeness of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor.
The Barbie actor's reaction to seeing the doll for the first time was unveiled at the event, where he said:
"Barbie is iconic, so to see a Barbie iteration of the Doctor was emotional, surreal, incredible, and I can't wipe the smile off my face. I hope kids out there are able to enjoy the doll and see themselves in it and think 'I can do anything.'"
The unveiling comes after rumors and speculations emerged that Ncuti Gatwa was fired from the series. First reported by The Sun on May 22, the outlet claimed that audiences will "unlikely" see who the actor regenerates into at the end of the season, which is scheduled to air on May 31, 2025. The outlet also claimed that Disney is no longer keen on co-producing and financing its global release.
However, BBC's spokesperson shared a statement with RadioTimes on May 23, calling Gatwa's alleged firing from the show "pure fiction." The representative said:
"Whilst we never comment on the future of the Doctor, any suggestion that Ncuti Gatwa has been 'axed' is pure fiction."
As for any confirmation that Ncuti Gatwa will be returning to the series for another season, BBC didn't confirm or deny. The spokesperson said that they will make the decision about Doctor Who season 3 public after the full second season airs. They also called any other claims about the alleged future of the series "just pure speculation."
Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who season 2 episode 8, the finale episode, will be released on Disney+ on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 2:00 pm ET. Meanwhile, the actor's 15th Doctor Barbie doll is now available for pre-orders from Mattel Creations for $55, with the shipping scheduled on or before August 1, 2025.
