Ncuti Gatwa 'axed' from Doctor Who after pulling out of Eurovision presenting job

Doctor Who's leading star Ncuti Gatwa has reportedly been axed by the after just two series. According to reports there isbefore his regeneration at the end of his month.

Ncuti has reportedly been axed after he backed out of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend. He was due to be the UK's spokesperson for the event, but was replaced by singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor instead.

At the time, a statement read: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as Spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend.

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"However, we are delighted to confirm that BBC Radio 2's very own Friday night Kitchen Disco Diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be presenting the Jury result live from the UK."

The move left many fans speculating that Ncuti had withdrawn due to the controversial decision to allow Israel to partake in the contest. Just two minutes after qualified for the final, the announced that he would no longer be involved.

Reports have since claimed the Eurovision decision "hammered" his axe. “If the final nail wasn’t already in the coffin, it was well and truly hammered in after that," a source told

"His withdrawal was incredibly embarrassing. It caps what has been a largely depressing tenure in the Tardis for Ncuti.”

Ncuti has been vocal in his support for Palestine as he shared photos of Free Palestine graffiti in Italy on his and posted links to fundraisers for Palestinian causes. He has remained silent on the reason behind his exit from the Eurovision gig.

This month, there have been plenty of rumours about the future of the show amid claims the Disney funding could be withdrawn.

However, sources on the sci-fi series, which generates around £100million for Studios through global licensing deals and merchandising, claimed that showrunner has already planned the next two seasons.

He is said to have almost completed scripts for series 16 and with stories for the 17th series worked out. It was also claimed that if departs, it might not have as big an impact as feared by some fans.

This is because a “huge chunk” of the extra budget - up to £10 million per episode - is spent on the technical task of improving the picture quality to a level which wouldn’t be necessary if it reverted back to being a BBC standalone series.

“When Doctor Who began its partnership with Disney+, there was additional funding put in place," a source told the .

"Doctor Who is an expensive show to make, with its effects budget taking up a significant part of the overall spend, so if Disney were to withdraw its funding, then there wouldn't be as significant an impact on production as some fans may think. The TARDIS set is still standing in Cardiff, all ready to go on new adventures.”

BBC Studios has been producing the show with Disney since 2023. The show is expected to take a hiatus after the current series wraps up on May 31, with no new Doctor Who until 2027.

One insider said: “Whether or not Disney stays, the expectation is that the show will continue. Yes, there will be a gap while the scripts are finalised, the episodes are filmed and the editing process takes place. But we’ll be back. The wait won’t be forever, just a big pause.”

The Mirror has contacted the BBC and Ncuti's representative for comment.

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