Ncuti Gatwa's casting as the new Doctor Who can finally make a casting dream come true for fans. The Sex Education star is due to take up the role of the Doctor after the David Tennant-led 60th anniversary specials air in 2023. Gatwa's casting has been lauded for both its commitment to diversity, and for breaking through to a younger, Netflix-viewing audience who may be unfamiliar with Doctor Who. Speaking about his upcoming role, Ncuti Gatwa has mentioned his desire to face off against a villain, played by one of his Sex Education co-stars, Gillian Anderson.

Anderson, still best known as Agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, is a name that has regularly popped up in relation to Doctor Who since it was relaunched in 2005. To date, rumors of Anderson's involvement as either a villain or future Doctor have never come to fruition. While it's highly unlikely that the X-Files actor would take on another high-profile sci-fi role like that of the Doctor, the possibility of working with Ncuti Gatwa again may finally see Anderson appear in Doctor Who, fulfilling a long-standing fan wish.

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With Gillian Anderson very unlikely to ever play the role of the Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa's own desire for her to play a villain opens up some intriguing possibilities. The prospect of an older female Master against Gatwa's youthful Doctor would certainly be a fun dynamic to play with. Alternatively, Anderson's role as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown season 4 would make her ideal casting as The Happiness Patrol's Helen A, herself a thinly veiled Thatcher parody. A more likely option is in a swiftly debunked rumor from the run-up to Matt Smith's Doctor Who debut that suggested she was to play the role of the Rani. Her role in Sex Education could actually enhance her portrayal of this villainous Gallifreyan geneticist.

Gillian Anderson's Sex Education Role Makes Her Perfect For Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who

Gillian Anderson in Sex Education and Kate O'Mara as the Rani in Doctor Who

One of the key elements of a good Doctor Who villain is their chemistry with the lead actor. Kate O'Mara and Colin Baker for example, who played the Rani and Sixth Doctor respectively, had previously worked together and their ease with each other made the Rani such a memorable villain in one of only two appearances. Gillian Anderson and Ncuti Gatwa have similarly worked together on Sex Education and would have that same level of ease with each other as performers. The Rani didn't have the Master's obsession with the Doctor. She was never particularly interested in the Doctor and the Master's games, and this disinterest and perceived superiority would be enhanced by the difference in ages between Anderson and Gatwa, implying the Rani's seniority.

Gillian Anderson's sex therapist Jean Milburn's matter-of-fact manner when it comes to sex could be perfectly flipped for the role of the Rani. In her two previous appearances, the Rani conducts genetic experiments on unsuspecting species to the horror of the Doctor. Anderson could call on Jean's openness about human biology to provide a dark twist on it in playing up the chilling nature of the Rani's experiments. With rumors suggesting a deep-cut villain last seen in the 1960s will be played by Neil Patrick Harris in Doctor Who, it seems like the perfect time to bring back the Rani. From the little information that's been officially and unofficially released so far, Russell T Davies' new era of Doctor Who looks to balance these mythological deep cuts with a fresh, modern take aimed at a Netflix audience. Casting Gillian Anderson as the Rani opposite Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor would satisfy this criterion, and finally, make a casting dream come true.

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