Ncuti Gatwa Almost Breaks An Untouchable Doctor Who Rule In Season 14

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies."

Summary Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor in Doctor Who season 14 almost broke the rule of swearing, using "Shizzle" instead of a more explicit word.

Swearing is rare in Doctor Who due to its family-friendly nature, contrasting with spinoff Torchwood's mature themes.

Peter Capaldi's Doctor, known for his gruff demeanor, almost swore in his debut episode.

Doctor Who has numerous sets of rules, some of which it never strays from, but the opening episode of season 14 comes incredibly close to breaking one of the show's unspoken laws. Ncuti Gatwa has already brought a much-needed change of energy to the show while also fitting in perfectly with every other actor who has played the Doctor. While Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor made a strong entrance due to Doctor Who's bi-generation twist in "The Giggle," showrunner Russell T Davies has the actor's iteration of the Time Lord flirting with certain edges of what's deemed acceptable.

The Disney era of Doctor Who has already resulted in a handful of subtle changes, with the family-friendly company acquiring the international distribution rights for the show in late 2022. However, creative control is still largely in the hands of Davies and the BBC. As such, one moment in Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies," shows Gatwa's Doctor making a last-minute change to a line of dialogue that may have otherwise caused an issue.

Related 20 Greatest Doctor Who Stories Of All Time, Ranked Doctor Who has been a fixture on TV screens for 60 years, meaning there are plenty of stories to choose from when picking out the Time Lord's best.

Jocelyn Narrowly Stops Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Swearing In "Space Babies"

Swearing is largely avoided in most of the Doctor Who universe

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Near the end of the Doctor Who season 14 opener, the Doctor is explaining his plan to get the titular infants to their new home. When talking about the reason for the immense build-up of methane in the lower decks, Fourteen says to Ruby, "No wonder it was stinking down there. For six years, a great pile of sh-" Thanks to Jocelyn's self-proclaimed "Nanny filter," Gatwa's Doctor bails out of the expletive and opts instead for "Shizzle." Swearing is featured very rarely in Doctor Who, and when it is, the usually-forbidden vocabulary never approaches anything as extreme as the S-word.

Torchwood, while still part of the main Doctor Who canon, was aimed at a more mature audience. Therefore, it often featured strong language and sexual content - both of which are practically non-existent in Doctor Who.

Doctor Who's attitude to unsuitable language hugely predates the show's Disney ties. The fact that the long-running British sci-fi show is largely intended for family viewing makes swearing a no-go area. That being said, other corners of the franchise have been known to be far more lenient. For example, Torchwood was a Doctor Who spinoff that ran for four seasons from 2006 to 2011. Torchwood, while still part of the main Doctor Who canon, was aimed at a more mature audience. Therefore, it often featured strong language and sexual content - both of which are practically non-existent in Doctor Who.

The Last Doctor To Almost Swear Was (Unsurprisingly) Peter Capaldi's

The Twelfth Doctor would likely have had a foul mouth if the show had allowed for it

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The gruff demeanor and uncompromising personality of Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor perfectly suited the dark writing style of then-showrunner, Steven Moffat. So, it's not surprising to remember Capaldi's full debut as the Time Lord in Doctor Who season 8, episode 1, "Deep Breath," and the strong implication of Twelve's lack of filter. When using the psychic paper in "Deep Breath," the Doctor's foul mouth bleeds an unspeakable string of words onto his trusty ID. It's never revealed what the psychic paper said, but the fact that it was such a funny moment highlights the rarity of swearing in Doctor Who.

Episode Disney+ Release Date "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord" May 10 "Boom" May 17 "73 Yards" May 24 "Dot & Bubble" May 31 "Rogue" June 7 "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" June 14 "Empire of Death" June 21