10 Things Every Doctor Who Fan Does When A New Doctor Is Announced
2. Complain The Actor's First Appearance On A DWM Cover Doesn't State "IS The Doctor"
There's a long-running tradition in Doctor Who Magazine that the actor's first cover in costume is complemented by the headline of "[BLANK] IS the Doctor!" Famously, DWM spelt Peter Davison's name wrong when it was his turn. In recent years this tradition has become somewhat garbled, with some fans becoming quite upset when Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker didn't get the "IS the Doctor" headline on their first cover.
That's because filming hadn't started, and the airdate of the new episodes were some way away. Expect a similar huffing and puffing on social media when Ncuti Gatwa graces his first DWM cover. He'll get his "...IS the Doctor" headline next year, just as his new series, and RTD's second era begins. Until then he'll be an increasing presence in the magazine.
Given his BAFTA red carpet, and his interviews in the BBC Scotland documentary Black and Scottish, he'll give good value in the magazine's pages over the next few years. So just be happy to have him there, worry about the lack of headline if it truly isn't there in 2023!