Summary of complaint
We received complaints about our article Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Billie Piper as he leaves Doctor Who. Some people were unhappy that we featured the departure of Ncuti Gatwa from Doctor Who, following up with the announcement that Ncuti Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper.
Our response
Some people contacted us to complain that the headline gave away the ending, spoiling this Doctor Who episode for them. Others requested that the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ be more conscious of spoilers going forward, particularly in the use of headlines.
Ncuti Gatwa’s departure from the series had been widely speculated and many fans will have been aware that this was a possibility.
The headline on the news homepage that evening referred to Ncuti Gatwa’s departure because this was a legitimate entertainment news story in its own right, and it is not unusual that we would carry this type of story once a programme has been broadcast and the details in the public domain.
While we cannot account for everyone’s viewing habits, we initially held back from headlining the announcement of Ncuti Gatwa’s regeneration into Billie Piper. This extra detail was added later in the evening and our approach was consistent across the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ site.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ journalists are of course entitled to use their judgement to decide which stories to cover and the manner in which they are reported. We also want our headlines to be as informative as possible.
Although every story is different, we have discussed your concerns on this occasion with senior editors and we will be mindful of your views for future coverage.