Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor Finally Gets His Own Doctor Who Action Figure

The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday enter a new dimension, as Doctor Who fans can now add action figures of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson’s TARDIS team to their shelves. The duo began their adventures in 2023’s seasonal special The Church on Ruby Road, as the pair were drawn together while Ruby grappled with probability-changing Goblins. While their adventures in season 14 led to them drifting apart as life took them in separate directions, the pair have been confirmed to reunite in Doctor Who season 15.

Now, the official Doctor Who website has revealed that Gatwa and Gibson’s Doctor and Companion will be making their action figure debut in Character Option’s line in the fall of 2024. Based on their appearances from The Church on Ruby Road, the 5.5″ figures capture both stars’ likenesses, along with a selection of accessories from their first season, including the Sonic Screwdriver, Psychic Paper, Ruby’s phone and bag, and the deadly landmine featured in Boom.

While these figures will be released through Character Option’s website exclusively as “Vortex Additions” with collector-friendly packaging on October 17 for £39.99 (roughly equal to $52.37), mass retail versions in blister-style packaging will be released later, with slight changes to match their outfits in other stories.

What Ncuti Gatwa’s New Figure Could Mean For Doctor Who‘s New Era’s Impact

New Merchandise Could Mean A Return To Past Heights

The franchise’s return to greater merchandising has been long-awaited. Upon its revival in 2005, the brand received an incredible marketing push when the BBC first entered a merchandising agreement with Character Options, leading to displays in retailers such as Toys R Us that could rival larger brands such as Star Wars. These figure lines not only reflected the ongoing adventures of the latest incarnation, but it turned their attention to the classic era to feature characters back to William Hartnell’s First Doctor.

However, Character Option’s Doctor Who line noticeably changed direction following Matt Smith’s departure as the Eleventh Doctor in 2013, where distribution became limited to collector-specific retailers and character selection dwindled to only the Doctors, companions, and a few key villains, such as Michelle Gomez’s Missy.

While the line did see a small wave released for Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, it has since been relegated to exclusive sets released through Character Options’ website and B&M stores in the UK. As such, seeing Gatwa’s Doctor receive mass-retail merchandise may reignite hope for a push closer in scale to what has been seen between 2013 and 2024, with the BBC seeing it as potentially worth investing in.

Our Thoughts On Doctor Who‘s Merchandise Rennaisance

Fans Have Been Incredibly Eager To See More Time Lord Collectibles

From Funko POPs to Blu-Ray collections, Doctor Who merchandising has been a strong asset for the BBC that has continued to be welcomed by fans, with votes leading to a brief but dedicated line of Doctor Who LEGO sets and LEGO Dimensions video game content being released in 2015. As such, there will always be an audience wanting to take a piece of the sci-fi world home to play or display.

Furthermore, while official releases have become more infrequent and limited when compared to the heights of the line, Character Options’ Doctor Who figures are still dedicated to followers who not only have ensured each release has been successful but have built a community of talented creatives filling in the gaps with their detailed customs of missing or unmade characters. As such, audiences will be eager to complete their line-up of Doctors once Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor makes his action figure debut in fall 2024.

Source: DoctorWho.tv