Ncuti Gatwa has managed to stun the audience worldwide with his tempestuous acting in the highly acclaimed British series, Sex Education. The actor is now set to take up the mantle from Jodie Whittaker in the long-running legendary sci-fi show, Doctor Who on the 60th anniversary of the British show.
The actor is now fourth in the lineage of Scottish actors to step into the shoes of the Doctor, following Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant, and Peter Capaldi. Reincarnating as the 14th Doctor and keeper of the TARDIS, Gatwa will debut as the Time Lord in the 2023 Season.
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Ncuti Gatwa’s Rise From Refugee to Doctor Who
The Rwandan-born Scottish actor was known to few before wooing the world as Eric Effiong in the Netflix series, Sex Education. His iconic role managed to make the audience laugh, cry, hope, fight, identify, and rebel alongside him in a roller-coaster journey over the 3 seasons. Gatwa was awarded the Best Actor in the Scottish BAFTA in 2020 for his role as a teenage gay Nigerian immigrant.
Peter Capaldi weighed in on Gatwa’s casting as the latest Doctor, and he said:
“What a great story — a little boy whose family escaped from the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and at age two, finds refuge in Scotland, where he grows up to become Doctor Who.
That’s a story to be proud of. With his talent and heart, I know Ncuti will make an amazing Doctor. How exciting.”
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In February 2022, several months before the official public announcement of Ncuti Gatwa as The Fourteenth Doctor, he was cast in the role and he couldn’t be happier.
“It’s been emotional, it’s been emotional. I was just saying, I woke up crying, and then I started dancing… I’m glad that it’s finally out, and I don’t have to keep it secret anymore, ’cause I’m terrible,”
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Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat Gush Over the Actor
The years have witnessed brilliant actors come and go as Doctors, including Capaldi, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Jodie Whittaker, and many more. With Ncuti Gatwa stepping in as the newest adaptation, the series showrunners and executive members have all poured in their immense support and congratulations to the rising actor.
The Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, revealed:
“Ncuti has an incredible dynamism, he’s a striking and fearless young actor whose talent and energy will set the world alight and take Doctor Who on extraordinary adventures under Russell T Davies’ new era.”
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Russell T Davies, the Showrunner himself added:
“The future is here and it’s Ncuti! Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe and thank my lucky stars. Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds. It’s an honour to work with him, and a hoot, I can’t wait to get started.”
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And finally, Steven Moffat OBE, the showrunner, writer, and executive producer who lent his talent for six series in the tenure of Doctor Who‘s television existence, himself talked about the Scottish actor after having seen his audition tape:
“[Gatwa] is magnificent: all at once a brand-new hero and the same wonderful, mad old Doctor we’ve always known.”
Source: Empire
