ListNook

Rusbekistan Apr 14, 2026 +275

No offence, but what for? He's still really early in his career and his highlights so far are a supporting role on sex education and a relatively poorly received 18 episodes of Dr Who. Whilst not his fault as such, that doesn't scream honourary doctorate to me. Is it for his theatre stuff? The article doesn't really expand upon the reasoning

275

Odd_Ingenuity2883 Apr 14, 2026 +184

The same reason all honorary doctorates are awarded. To get a good graduation speaker.

184

ithinkther41am Apr 15, 2026 +16

Can confirm Source: got Justin Trudeau for my graduation speaker

16

Catachan_Chad Apr 15, 2026 +6

Sorry to hear that.

6

Adamsoski Apr 15, 2026 +42

I think you're vastly overestimating the value of an honorary doctorate - it really doesn't mean anything at all - and understimating the cultural importance of being Doctor Who in the UK, regardless of quality. I'm not going to look them all up but for instance both Colin Baker and Jodie Whittaker also have been given honorary doctorates.

42

cluttersky Apr 15, 2026 +3

David Tennant has also received an honorary doctorate.

3

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 15, 2026 +5

Yeah, but he is an immensely popular actor with a much longer career.

5

Last_Kaleidoscope496 Apr 14, 2026 +25

It’s okay, no one takes honorary doctorates seriously.

25

VivaLaVita555 Apr 14, 2026 +29

Cause it's funny to make a Doctor Who an actual doctor

29

Rusbekistan Apr 15, 2026 +2

Very fair

2

the_real_tisan Apr 16, 2026 +1

Yeah yeah yeah....yeah

1

Dogbin005 Apr 14, 2026 +11

There's a deleted scene from Taskmaster where Greg is talking about getting an honorary doctorate. Watching him turn from proud to humble because basically all the guests had honorary doctorates too is great, and Alex said he was getting one in the near future too. Point is, they're meaningless. Universities hand them out all the time.

11

MakingaJessinmyPants Apr 14, 2026 +6

The university said they had been selected for having a "a profound and positive impact within their professions and wider society."

6

apple_kicks Apr 15, 2026 +2

He also did amazing National theatre performance recently too. The Importance of Being Earnest

2

Dorwyn Apr 15, 2026 +1

Honourary doctorate is given to anyone that does the commencement address. That's it. You're reading too much into it.

1

WILLLSMITHH Apr 14, 2026 -21

Because he’s black and gay and they can pat themselves on the back.

-21

LeoLaDawg Apr 14, 2026 -23

You know why....

-23

Boggie135 Apr 14, 2026 +2

I don't

2

RunelordTressa Apr 14, 2026 -21

Honestly we really gotta get out of the habit of downplaying accomplishments in regards to other people. Its not like Honorary Doctorates are some finite resource (at least to my knowledge) getting one isn't gonna stop others from getting one so its literally fine whoever gets it. Like its ok for him to get an award that's ultimately insignificant to us as bystanders. Might be for representation, might be for playing the doctor, might be for getting nominated for an Ian Charleson award, might be some of everything, Shit, he got his degree in Glasgow and is successful you could probably shake that even if it wasn't Glasgow University lol. Maybe the person who gives these out had a good time when he was a go go dancer, shrug. Basically we should probably take "Honorary degrees give us the opportunity to recognize individuals whose achievements have had a profound and positive impact within their professions and wider society" at face value. Imo just being successful, black, & queer while getting a high profile tv role that will probably resonate with the kids/young adults watching it in a positive way it literally enough to be like "hey, good job". EDIT: Also to anyone who feels some type of way about him being black and queer. Sadly I must inform you that black and queer people doing good at their jobs in something like television makes black and queer people feel good about who they are when they tune in.

-21

thresh_to_death Apr 15, 2026 +9

Weird edit trying to make it seem like anyone that's against this is homophobic or racist

9

RunelordTressa Apr 15, 2026 -9

Its mainly because there's no real reason to be against it. Honoary Degrees are nothing burgers compared to, you know, a real degree and the criteria to give them out is between the people who give them out and the recipient. Like there is no baseline for them so why tf does anyone care

-9

Tymareta Apr 15, 2026 -7

This, if this were a thread about Matt Smith getting one people would be celebrating and there'd be 2,000+ comments, but for some "mysterious" reason the only real meaningful engagement is people attempting to slag off honorary degrees.

-7

Charming-Total2121 Apr 14, 2026 +1

>It's literally fine whoever gets it Hmm, no. Not really. If awards/recognitions are going to start being handed out to every Tom, D***, and Harry then it only serves to harm those who worked hard to get them, and waters down the positive impact having such an award delivers.

1

RunelordTressa Apr 14, 2026 -2

"Tom, D***, and Harry then it only serves to harm those who worked hard to get them" This only makes sense if it was actually happening but its not. Im not seeing why Ncuti doesn't deserve it unless we start asking for the moon for an honorary degree that doesn't require him to do anything other than what he already done. I was being a bit silly because I think all this shit is stupid but im not about to sit here and be like "yea he doesn't deserve this" cause it aint true.

-2

Charming-Total2121 Apr 14, 2026 +2

It was you who said it. If you didn't mean it then you could always edit/delete your post.

2

RunelordTressa Apr 14, 2026 -4

Naw no need, im telling you now and clarifying so its sall good. Any further irritation is on you.

-4

JEMS93 Apr 14, 2026 +1

Unearned honorary doctorates undermine the value and prestige of actual doctorates. Imagine spending all the time and money getting one only for your university give it to someone because they were in a tv show for a bit

1

RunelordTressa Apr 14, 2026 +4

Lol they would be fine because they would be getting a regular doctorate not an honorary doctorate. They aren't the same thing one requires the college process and can be used to get a job the other is a symbolic award. You can literally have both. Edit: Psst Thats what "Honorary" means btw

4

[deleted] Apr 14, 2026 -10

[deleted]

-10

Spyro_Machida Apr 14, 2026 +2

Maybe you should've actually tried reading the comment.

2

RunelordTressa Apr 14, 2026 +1

Literacy my guy im saying the opposite lol.

1

Al89nut Apr 14, 2026 +6

Why?

6

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +3

For being Doctor Who

3

Al89nut Apr 17, 2026 +1

Is that an honour now?

1

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +3

Yes, very much so. It’s filling in the shoes of an internationally recognized and beloved character who serves as a role model for children and others worldwide. There’s a reason that BBC announcing who is doing the role is treated as such a big thing.

3

BirdmanTheThird Apr 14, 2026 +167

Still kinda wild that he only got 16 episodes. Wish we could go back to when each season had like 13+ episodes feel like we would really enjoy Ncuti as the doctor more had he gotten a longer run per season, so that it doesn’t feel so odd that he had such few episodes

167

Jirachibi1000 Apr 14, 2026 +94

He got the same amount of episodes Tennant did in a 1 year period, its crazy.

94

BlazingInfernape2003 Apr 14, 2026 +27

Ncuti was the Doctor for 18 months (November 2023-May 2025) Billie Piper, likely stunt casting, will have been the Doctor for 19 months (May 2025-December 2026)

27

Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 15, 2026 +12

Unfortunately a stupid idea. Instead of chasing old glory, they should find fresh faces. Good heavens it's not rocket science.

12

disneyadviceneeded Apr 15, 2026 +7

I do think casting Billie wasn’t entirely about chasing old glory, I genuinely think they were flailing when Ncuti decided to leave. Instead of just leaving Ncuti regenerating on a cliff hanger, or asking him to at least come back for one last (Christmas) episode to regenerate in, they’ve picked someone that they can kind of write a way around them not actually being the doctor (with the added bonus of being “old glory” and getting the extra publicity).

7

duman82 Apr 15, 2026 +3

Ya I agree, I think the link between the fans and the show is not as strong these days, so introducing a new doctor and going on a long break would have probably been endgame for many folks. But Ncuti proved that talent is out there, he was a phenomenal doctor, I think this was just a way to keep people around.

3

Jirachibi1000 Apr 15, 2026 +3

The issue is, afaik, it was a situation where 15 is regenerating in reshoots. You HAVE to show who they regenerate into and cannot make it a cliffhanger. You have maybe 1 day to not only write the regeneration, but pick an actor that a.) Is available RIGHT NOW. b.) You KNOW will say yes. c.) Is dedicated to "yeah you're the doctor.....3 years from now.". The only real option was Piper. She was available, they knew she'd say yes since she talked about returning before, and was fine with not shooting for nearly half a decade if necessary. What would you have done?

3

Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 16, 2026 +1

Picked someone new. Put out a general cattle call but also hip pocketed a couple of favourites

1

Jirachibi1000 Apr 16, 2026 +2

How do you do that with less than 1 week to cast, audition, etc. AND make sure the acto0r is dedicated to staying even 2-3+ years from now?

2

Salute-Major-Echidna Apr 16, 2026 +1

You dont wait til the week before obviously

1

Jirachibi1000 Apr 16, 2026

Thats not your choice. You finished the episode, then the actor "Hey im leaving." and the episode is due in less than a week, so you NEED to reshoot the ending within the next 5-6 days. You're basically told on Monday "He's leaving. You need to find a new doctor before Friday and reshoot it."

0

ult_avatar Apr 15, 2026 +1

Wtf Billie piper?!

1

sourdough_squirrel Apr 14, 2026 +25

What's crazy to me is how little character development they managed in those 16 (technically 19) episodes. 9 had a complete character arc in 12 (or 13) episodes. 15 was...The Doctor who cried? The companions fared even worse.

25

mrjohnnymac18 Apr 14, 2026 +29

18. The two Christmas specials as well

29

RobotXander Apr 14, 2026 +26

He was terrible though

26

damrodoth Apr 14, 2026 +21

15 too many. He was c***

21

IndyRevolution Apr 15, 2026 +10

There are times he impressed me (more than I can say about Whittaker) and he's obviously a great actor, but WHY DID HE CRY IN EVERY SINGLE EPISODE

10

ThePr0vider Apr 15, 2026 -3

because writing for women is terrible. like yes woman have a tendency to be more emotional on avarage. but it's used as a copout way to much. star trek discovery also was just bo burnam crying every other episode for most of season 3 at the very least (didn't bother watcher after that as it got taken off of netflix)

-3

CloudyLeft Apr 15, 2026

Women don’t tend to be more emotional. Have you seen Earth lately? Its men. We show a different set of emotions more frequently, but its certainly men who become more emotional (especially when they don’t get their way).

0

ArcadianBlueRogue Apr 15, 2026 +7

Man he and Jodie were done so dirty with the writing, but while her's was terrible across the board Ncuti's plotlines start so good and then just have such terrible payoffs.

7

CIDR-ClassB Apr 15, 2026 +8

He was horrible. The writing was horrible. It was 16 episodes too many.

8

just4browse Apr 14, 2026 +5

I wish he had stayed for a third season like he was planned to

5

confusing_roundabout Apr 14, 2026 +34

I don't blame him for leaving. The season renewal was up in the air and he didn't want to be tied down when he was getting movie offers.

34

just4browse Apr 14, 2026 +5

Yeah, I don’t blame him either. I just wish circumstances had been different. Both because I wanted to see more of him in the role & because his exit was very abrupt. Well executed, all things considered, but you can really tell that it was reshoots

5

MakingaJessinmyPants Apr 14, 2026 +9

Nah I’m glad that era of the show is basically over. Hope RTD bows out after the next Christmas special

9

ChestertonMyDearBoy Apr 14, 2026 +12

Agreed. Absolutely awful series. Could have been a fantastic Doctor, but the writing and stories were just terrible.

12

BirdmanTheThird Apr 14, 2026 +1

Yeah, definitely with how short seasons are these days he 100% needed a third to wrap it up lol

1

forkandspoon2011 Apr 14, 2026 +3

Goblin King episode was so good

3

Boudica4553 Apr 14, 2026 +2

Isnt that the shortest of any Doctor save christopher eccleston?

2

bobreturns1 Apr 14, 2026 +18

Nah, McGann was only in one movie.

18

Boudica4553 Apr 14, 2026 +10

Now that i think of it does John hurt count as well? he was only in 2 episodes. I just tend to think of doctors like that as not really counting. Anyway, its strange to me Christopher ecclestion was in 3 fewer episodes but it felt like he had a more substantial role than Ncuti did

10

PuffballDestroyer Apr 14, 2026 +4

Now I don't watch Doctor who, so my knowledge is surface level, but wouldn't Eccleston's tenure be more substantial considering that he was the first Doctor of the revival series?

4

kirby2000 Apr 15, 2026 +3

He has done hundreds of Big Finish audio's though.

3

MIBlackburn Apr 14, 2026 +2

And a special that was on the BBC red button on the 50th anniversary.

2

monchota Apr 14, 2026 -2

If the writing wasn't absolutely horrible and then when called out about it. Calling everyone bigots for vaiiled criticism, it probably would of went longer. As for now they are some of the worst rated and worst for viewership than any of the other doctors

-2

FGX302 Apr 15, 2026 -2

Yeah too much politics and not enough story, then he attacked the core fans. Well it'll never be back, it's done.

-2

THExIMPLIKATION Apr 15, 2026

Thank goodness it was only 16

0

cjdstreet Apr 14, 2026 +7

An actor getting a job is somehow a special achievement? So if a journalist gets published in glasgow live they should expect recognition too?

7

amazedemon Apr 14, 2026 +2

That's Dr. Journalist to you.

2

mrjohnnymac18 Apr 14, 2026

Mr Doctor Professor Journalist

0

Abba_Fiskbullar Apr 14, 2026 +28

I wish we'd had him as the Doctor with much, much better writing. He's a ball of charisma and screen presence. The other Scottish Doctor had the same problem, good actor, bad writing.

28

AmarilloMike Apr 14, 2026 +25

Which other Scottish Doctor? Sylvester McCoy? David Tennant? Jokes, I know you mean Capaldi. For what it's worth, I really enjoyed his era. Missy was a perfect foil and Bill was underrated as a companion.

25

SortIntrepid9192 Apr 14, 2026 +4

Ngl McCoy was also screwed over by the writing, though not nearly as bad as Colin Baker.

4

The_Grand_Briddock Apr 14, 2026 +4

McCoy got some good stories tbf. His first outing wasn't great, but once they started making him the chessmaster it really came together. The same outing that brought in the much mocked candyman also gave us the Doctor walking up to a man with a gun and saying 'shoot me'.

4

RichAbbreviations966 Apr 14, 2026 +2

Yeah they really highlighted it in supplementary material how far 7 was willing to go to do what he deemed “necessary”, it was kind of a preview of Time Lord Victorious

2

ChestertonMyDearBoy Apr 15, 2026 +2

**GILBERT!!!**

2

ThePr0vider Apr 15, 2026 +2

good writers are mostly writing books now are rarely writing scripts. and they've already done several decades of doctor who. at some point all that changes is the crew and equipment as tech moves forward as you'll run out of truly fresh story ideas

2

AllTheReservations Apr 14, 2026 +3

It's really unfortunate because there's so many moments where he really encapsulates everything I love about the Doctor, both the fun-loving adventurer side and the glimpses of the more emotionally complex person underneath. But then it just never feels like there was a proper payoff to it all, even before the abrupt ending (which definitely didn't help)

3

monchota Apr 14, 2026 +17

Why? Did he do something special? For real, those honorary degree are for people who truly changed something. In a particular field and did it without the education most have, now. They give them out for political points.

17

thisisredlitre Apr 14, 2026 +7

The same reason any school gives any celebrity a degree: to sell seats/boost applications.

7

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +1

I guess being Doctor Who is something special

1

John_Thursday Apr 15, 2026 +2

Why?

2

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +2

For being Doctor Who

2

Pretty_Inspector8036 Apr 15, 2026 +3

Why a doctorate? He's done nothing

3

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +1

Because he was Doctor Who. It’s an honorary fun thing.

1

IStoneI42 Apr 14, 2026 +6

for what?

6

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +1

For being Doctor Who

1

ROBtimusPrime1995 Apr 14, 2026 +10

Ncuti, Millie, and Varada carried the show so hard, and it's a shame so much talent was wasted on really weak storylines.

10

maninahat Apr 14, 2026 +23

I don't know why you're being downvoted, the writing was c***. And I say this as someone who has watched *Space Babies* 700 times.

23

Lyceus_ Apr 14, 2026 +12

Why did you do that to yourself?

12

maninahat Apr 14, 2026 +9

I have a five year old boss who loves the show.

9

ROBtimusPrime1995 Apr 14, 2026 +3

I'm at a loss here. My comment is the least controversial take on both seasons. I feel like Doctor Who is losing its foothold in pop culture and the fans that are left can't genuinely see how unenjoyable these last few seasons have been. It's gone from niche to micro-niche, so they are probably really defensive against criticism.

3

OxWithABox Apr 15, 2026 +3

Going by some other comments further up, I wouldn't be surprised if some people just hate that you're giving Gatwa credit for being a genuinely talented actor. No-one who watched The Reality War would think the writing was a high point of 15's run.

3

SortIntrepid9192 Apr 14, 2026 +4

Absolutely wild how you're getting downvoted. Pretty much everyone agrees that the writing was shit (especially the series-long arcs) and that Gatwa was screwed over consistently by scheduling and the overall uncertainty of the production, which is why he left. He's a spectacular actor and could have introduced DW to a whole new generation if the writing did what it was supposed to do (soft-reboot the show) instead of clinging onto dear life to twist villains nobody under the age of 50 would know.

4

[deleted] Apr 14, 2026

[removed]

0

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +1

….He got the job because he’s a really good actor and genuinely fits the qualities necessary for the role. Go outside.

1

Zestyc96 Apr 17, 2026 +1

Yes, he fits the DEI quotas for today’s modern leftist slop that’s bankrupting entertainment industries pandering to disingenuous virtue-signalling narcissists like you. Ncuti Gatwa is black and gay and with the Russell T Davies being white and gay, I think certain door was stretched wide opened by Russell T Davies, it obvious how he got the role, if you follow me, CASTING COACH ANYONE

1

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +1

You are a sad strange little man.

1

Zestyc96 Apr 18, 2026 +1

OK, what ever you say

1

eRaZze_W Apr 15, 2026 -1

Shh you'll enrage the average listnook crowd

-1

Lewri Apr 15, 2026

is Stuart Murdoch also DEI?

0

nowhereman136 Apr 14, 2026 +1

I wish we got more of him as the Doctor. I liked his style

1

Fidelos Apr 14, 2026 +9

> I liked his style I didn't like his style at all. He was so... Human? And very emotionally sensitive. I don't like that for the doctor. I'm not sure it was on him though, but I still didn't like it. I also didn't like he didn't have a costume but that's 100% not on him.

9

ChestertonMyDearBoy Apr 15, 2026 +5

Yeah, The Doctor is an alien space weirdo. They can be your best pal, but they're still alien underneath it. The grumpiness of One, the planning of Seven, the traumatised anger of Nine: they remind you that this is actually a being that can be very, very dangerous. But 15 just cries a lot and wears funny costumes. There's no edge to him. He doesn't feel like The Doctor at all.

5

Ulrar Apr 15, 2026 +6

Yeah, did not even finish, I just haven't felt like clicking on the new episodes at all. It just doesn't feel like dr who

6

Blorberto Apr 17, 2026 +1

Why are you being downvoted? It’s fine to like him as the Doctor. Calm down.

1

starglitter Apr 14, 2026 -2

Me too! I think he was a fantastic Doctor.

-2

ChestertonMyDearBoy Apr 14, 2026 +5

Nah, he was awful. Didn't have any of the traits of any of previous Doctors, cried all the time, randomly and suddenly fell on love which is totally against their precious character. The show might as well have been called Random Adventure Man.

5

THExIMPLIKATION Apr 15, 2026 +1

Random Adventure Person*

1

WiseBlueHallow Apr 15, 2026 -2

The doctor fell in love with Rose Tyler for 3 seasons lol, he also got really flirty with Clara Oswald for 2 incarnations lmao. Then the doctor fell in love with Yasmin Khan…. None of what you said is the actors fault, he was great in “Joy to the World” in particular

-2

ChestertonMyDearBoy Apr 15, 2026 +3

They were all love interests that developed over time. Those Doctors didn't just fall in love with some random guy at first sight. He did cry a lot. It used to mean something when The Doctor cried. It loses all meaning when he does it every episode.

3

CMDR_omnicognate Apr 15, 2026 +1

Guess he's properly "The Doctor" now then... i wish the episodes weren't such a mixed bag, like Jodie I felt like he was kinda wasted on the slightly dodgy writing, they both had so much potential to be great Doctors but just kinda weren't given great material to work with...

1

bob_nugget_the_3rd Apr 14, 2026 +2

'The university said they had been selected for having a "a profound and positive impact within their professions and wider society." ' For anyone not wanting to read the bbc

2

CharmCityCrab Apr 14, 2026

IIRC, there's a 70s episode where someone asks the character of the doctor what his degree is in and he says something like "It's honorary". I guess Gatwa is leaning into the character. 😁

0

[deleted] Apr 14, 2026 -13

[deleted]

-13

Saltire_Blue Apr 14, 2026 -6

Some boi, well done Downvoted for congratulating a fellow Scot reviving a doctorate from my local university I’ll definitely need that one explained to me

-6

GaryJM Apr 14, 2026 -4

>I’ll definitely need that one explained to me It might be Americans downvoting you because it's taboo over there to call a black man a "boy".

-4

wynveen Apr 15, 2026 +1

I noticed most of the comments here that are critical of this man receiving a “degree” are minimized. Stay classy Listnook.

1

WelcomeToWitsEnd Apr 15, 2026 -2

Second favorite doctor; least favorite season. Some of the worst episodes to come out of the show but damn if Ncuti didn't absolutely shine in the role. He's a brilliant actor.

-2

EyewarsTheMangoMan Apr 14, 2026 -6

I loved his run as The Doctor and only wished he had gotten more episodes

-6

[deleted] Apr 15, 2026 -3

[removed]

-3

mrjohnnymac18 Apr 15, 2026 +1

*DEI - divorced, edgelord, inbred

1

WatTambor420 Apr 15, 2026 -6

lol my elementary school in Mississippi ?

-6

ChestertonMyDearBoy Apr 15, 2026 -1

There's one in Kentucky. Edit: why am I being downvoted? [There literally is](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow,_Kentucky).

-1

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa to receive honorary doctorate from Glasgow University

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