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Ncuti Gatwa will take over as the next lead in Doctor Who, the BBC announced on Sunday. The 29-year-old will become the popular science fiction show's 14th Time Lord and the first person of color to play the lead role.
Gatwa, a Scottish actor born in Rwanda, is best known for his role in Netflix's sitcom Sex Education. He told a news outlet:
"It feels really amazing. It's a true honor. This role is an institution, and it's so iconic. I feel very grateful to have had the baton handed over, and I'm going to try to do my best."
Exploring Ncuti Gatwa's career amid Doctor Who casting
The actor is best known as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, a fictional series that follows students seeking advice from an underground sex therapy clinic at school. Gatwa won Best Actor at the Scottish BAFTAs in 2020 for his performance in the series.
Gatwa, up for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Program at this year's BAFTAs, will now play the 14th Doctor in the show. He impressed showrunner Russell T Davies in a "blazing" audition.
"It was our last audition. It was our very last one. We thought we had someone, and then in he came and stole it. I'm properly, properly thrilled. It's going to be a blazing future."
Ncuti Gatwa joins the long-running science fiction series, which follows an alien Time Lord who travels across space and time, just in time for its 60th anniversary in 2023.
Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi are among the new Doctors.
The Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda-born star stated that he would "definitely do my own thing" with the role rather than emulating any previous Doctor.
In a statement, he said that working with Davies was "a dream come true:
"His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent, and fizzing with danger — an actor's metaphorical playground. The entire team has been so welcoming and truly given their hearts to the show. And so, as much as it's daunting, I'm aware I'm joining a really supportive family. Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart, but I am giving it all to this show."
Juno Dawson, a Doctor Who author and podcaster, described it as a "perfect, perfect casting."
Russell and Ncuti both confirmed that the former had been keeping it hidden since February.
