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'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in<em> Doctor Who. </em>
Disney Plus
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.

The venerable British science fiction series Doctor Who is back with a new season. Ncuti Gatwa — who is Black and openly queer — brings a vibrant energy to the story of an alien who travels through space and time in a blue box. The series, now streaming on Disney+, also features the return of showrunner Russell T. Davies, who birthed the modern era of Doctor Who. But what does this mix of new and old mean for the sci-fi institution?


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Glen Weldon is a host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. He reviews books, movies, comics and more for the NPR Arts Desk.
Eric Deggans is NPR's first full-time TV critic.
J.C. Howard
J.C. Howard is a producer for TED Radio Hour and How I Built This with Guy Raz. He started with NPR as an intern for How I Built This in May 2018 and began producing in his current capacity in January 2019.
Joelle Monique
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