Eurovision 2025's Ncuti Gatwa Announcement Must Tie In With Doctor Who's Current Storyline, Right?
By Dan Bibby
Spoilers ahead for "Lux," from the current season of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who's active leading man being announced as the UK's representative when it comes to dishing out the nation's scores for 2025's Eurovision Song Contest is really cool, but wouldn't it be even better if Ncuti Gatwa turns out to be doing far more than just appearing as his charming self? That's what I'm convinced is going to happen when the legendary songwriting contest airs its live final on 17th May.
Even though I am hopeful, if not almost certain, that Gatwa is going to be playing the Fifteenth Doctor during his Eurovision duties, I'm not just operating on wishful thinking. There are several clues to suggest that it'll be the Time Lord himself who's going to be announcing who the UK has awarded points to in this year's contest. I guess we won't get a solid answer until the broadcast airs, but that doesn't stop me from speculating.
Even though I am hopeful, if not almost certain, that Gatwa is going to be playing the Fifteenth Doctor during his Eurovision duties, I'm not just operating on wishful thinking. There are several clues to suggest that it'll be the Time Lord himself who's going to be announcing who the UK has awarded points to in this year's contest. I guess we won't get a solid answer until the broadcast airs, but that doesn't stop me from speculating.
Eurovision 2025's Final Will Be Broadcast On The Same Day As Doctor Who's "Interstellar Song Contest" Episode
17th May will be a busy day for Ncuti Gatwa
I'm calling it right now - we're getting an unexpected crossover for the ages between the Eurovision Song Contest and Doctor Who. It's just too much of a coincidence for me to ignore that Gatwa is billed to appear in "Interstellar Song Contest" on the very same day that he's also taking part in the very event on which the upcoming Doctor Who episode is based. Sure, it could just be an easter egg, but I don't believe that. I think there's a much more direct interaction afoot.
Doctor Who has been hitting the iPlayer in the UK pretty early in the day, so I don't expect there to be many nods to Eurovision in "Interstellar Song Contest" other than the obvious. However, if the 2025 live final doesn't suddenly become a canonical Doctor Who tie-in while Gatwa is onscreen, it'll both be a massive waste of an amazing opportunity as well as a source of great disappointment to me - and, I'm sure, to other Doctor Who fans.
Doctor Who Has Already Broken The Fourth Wall Several Times Since 2023
Russell T. Davies' second spell as Doctor Who's showrunner has been way more meta
There's no denying that the Doctor himself showing up in the Eurovision Song Contest would completely annihilate what's left of the fourth wall separating Doctor Who from reality. That said, maintaining the divide hasn't been a priority since Disney started co-producing the show. In fact, Davies has seemed intent on pulling the Doctor into our world for a while now. Even as far back as "The Devil's Chord," Fifteen's wink directly into the lens suggests his awareness that he's in a TV show.
More recently, the Doctor spoke with Doctor Who fans in "Lux," when the God of Light's meddling resulted in Gatwa's character bursting into the living room of a trio enjoying the episode. In other eras of the show, having the Doctor show up in a real-world project like Eurovision would have been a step too far, but I feel like this is the kind of thing Davies has been building towards since his return. It would feel earned if it were to happen, and would change the show forever.
More recently, the Doctor spoke with Doctor Who fans in "Lux," when the God of Light's meddling resulted in Gatwa's character bursting into the living room of a trio enjoying the episode. In other eras of the show, having the Doctor show up in a real-world project like Eurovision would have been a step too far, but I feel like this is the kind of thing Davies has been building towards since his return. It would feel earned if it were to happen, and would change the show forever.
What The Doctor's Appearance In Eurovision 2025 Would Mean For Doctor Who's Final 2 Episodes Of The Year
"Wish World" & "The Reality War" will conclude the show's current run
After "The Interstellar Song Contest," Doctor Who's current storyline looks as though it'll enter its most crucial phase. The air date of "Wish World" has already been mentioned in-universe by Anita Dobson's Mrs. Flood, and it sounds as though the Doctor could die, or Doctor Who itself could start to draw to a close on 24th May. Then, "The Reality War" has a title that sounds very high-stakes already. If the Doctor crosses into our world via the Eurovision Song Contest, then it could be a sign that the fabric of reality is starting to falter, and Fifteen could confirm once and for all that he's a fictional character.
In a way, I really want something like this to happen. It would be unprecedented not just for Doctor Who, but for a bunch of other sci-fi franchises too. On the other hand, I'm incredibly worried that outing Doctor Who as nothing more than scripted adventure to its characters would be a twist that would be impossible to come back from. If so, I almost hope I'm very wrong about Gatwa's Eurovision role, and that he isn't embodying his Doctor Who character during the live broadcast.
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Get in touch with us on Instagram or Twitter to let us know what you think! Or email us at [email protected].