Ncuti Gatwa becomes The Doctor in tradition breaking regeneration scene

Doctor Who fans were emotional after witnessing a shock regeneration that introduced Ncuti Gatwa as the show’s 15th Doctor.

Fans of the long running science fiction TV show Doctor Who regularly expect an emotional farewell when a new Doctor is introduced.

Normally, this would mean saying goodbye to the actor playing the titular character and welcoming a new actor.

In the Doctor Who universe, regeneration means the character will transform into a new physical form and have a somewhat different personality following instances that would normally result in death.

This wasn’t quite the case in the latest episode, however. Take a look:

Over the past few weeks, fans have been treated to special episodes to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary, which saw the return of the tenth (and perhaps the most favourite) Doctor, David Tennant.

During the finale, the protagonist, his old friend Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and previous companion Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) come face-to-face with his old foe, The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris).

As the Doctor and the Toymaker went head-to-head, a laser beam went through the chest of the hero and set off his fifteenth generation.

While his companions said their goodbyes to the character, the Doctor told the pair to pull his arms and said it felt different this time around.

BBC

After a few tugs, out popped Gatwa’s Doctor, much to the surprise of Tennant’s character and a few pushes later the two were separated. Gatwa stepped out of Tennant’s body wearing a white shirt, while the former also remained as a being.

This 'bi-generation' was a first for the BBC show as the regeneration process has never shown two different Doctors beside one another. Many fans seemed to love the change and took to social media to express their surprise at the twist.

“That was so so so good! And I really like that it also means David Tennant is still attached to the show and can have side adventures. I also can’t wait to see what Ncuti brings to the role, he’s already impressed me so much,” one Instagram user said of the scene.

“Did anyone else cry? I need to know if anyone else cried. Because I cried. Might still be crying. Anyone?,” said another.

BBC

“Tonight's episode knocked it out of the park! Lovely ending for David and I already love Ncuti’s Doctor!,” another user commented.

“Thank you for such a great episode! For once I cried out of happiness , not out of sadness, with a regeneration!!

“Best episode yet, i LOVE Ncuti … and Neil Patrick Harris dancing to the spice girls was insane.”

While not everyone was convinced with the shift, many are waiting to see how Ncuti does as the Doctor before passing judgement.