Ncuti Gatwa took a cheeky swipe at Doctor Who while on SNL UK hosting duties.

The former Time Lord joked about the BBC sci-fi show’s ratings and plotlines during his Saturday Night Live UK opening monologue.

Speaking from the SNL stage in London, Gatwa said: “I’ve had so many fantastic roles in my career. Millions of you watched me as Eric in Sex Education, and then about 12 of you watched me in Doctor Who. Maybe that’s why I kept crying.”

He continued: “Joking aside, it was genuinely a magical role. In fact, it was the first time my parents were truly proud of my career. When I told them I got the part, they said, ‘Finally, a doctor in the family.’ Even though I have since regenerated into Billie Piper … I don’t understand it either … I still love Doctor Who, and I got to meet so many crazy characters, sort of a bit like this place.”

Gatwa exited Doctor Who last year amid mixed reviews about his tenure in the beloved series. Disney also ended its co-production deal with the BBC for the show.

As Gatwa hinted, Doctor Who saw an alarming drop-off in viewing figures on the BBC. Season 15 averaged 3.8M viewers, according to gold-standard 28-day viewing figures from Barb, the UK’s official ratings agency.

This represented a decline of 1M on the prior season, the first starring Gatwa and produced by Bad Wolf. Both Gatwa seasons were down on Jodie Whittaker’s concluding season in 2021 (watched by 5.2M people), a period that was not considered to be vintage Doctor Who. 

As Saturday Night Live UK‘s first season comes to an end, Sky will be able to reflect on a show that has confounded expectations, produced viral moments, and provided some of the Comcast-owned network’s highest ratings of the year. The series was renewed for a second season, which will premiere in September.

SNL UK is produced by UTAS UK and Broadway Video for Sky and Now. James Longman is the lead producer. Lorne Michaels is executive producing; for Broadway Video, Erin David serves as producer; for UTAS UK, Helen Kruger Bratt oversees production.