In honour of the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, the 2013 docudrama, An Adventure in Space and Time, received a 2023 update for a November 23 broadcast. Toward the end, a heartbroken William Hartnell, about to film his regeneration scene after essentially being written out of the show due to his health problems, looked across the TARDIS console to see Ncuti Gatwa’s upcoming Fifteenth Doctor silently regarding him with respect.

The original 2013 scene was filmed with Matt Smith’s then-current Eleventh Doctor standing across the console, giving William Hartnell a smile. This time, the Fifteenth Doctor gives him a reassuring wink.

Then the future Doctor confidently moves the TARDIS console switches, a reference to the famous closing scenes of The Tenth Planet, where the switches on the console mysteriously begin moving by themselves. The fictional scene was designed to depict William Hartnell being reassured that his legacy would continue into Doctor Who‘s vast future.

Ncuti Gatwa hinted at his involvement in the filming of this scene while accepting an award at GQ’s Men of the Year party.

Doctor Who will return on 25 November 2023 with The Star Beast, the first of three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble — followed by Wild Blue Yonder on 2 December and The Giggle on 9 December.

Ncuti Gatwa will star in his first full Doctor Who episode as the Fifteenth Doctor in the Doctor Who Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road alongside Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday on 25 December.

A new 8-episode Doctor Who series starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will debut in Spring of 2024 followed by the 2024 festive special later in the year.