Star of stage and screen Ncuti is best known for his critically acclaimed performance in Sex Education as the iconic Eric Effiong, for which he was awarded Best Actor Award at the Scottish BAFTAs in 2020 as well as numerous nominations, including Best Male Performance in a comedy programme at this year’s BAFTAs.
Speaking of his new role, Ncuti says: “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my upmost to do the same.
“Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is 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 give 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.”
Russell T Davies, Showrunner, adds:
“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. I’m sure you’re dying to know more, but we’re rationing ourselves for now, with the wonderful Jodie’s epic finale yet to come. But I promise you, 2023 will be spectacular!”
Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer, says:
“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.”
Further details will be announced in due course.
Who is Ncuti Gatwa?…
Mizero Ncuti Gatwa born 15 October 1992) is a Rwandan-Scottish Sex Education (2019–present), which earned him a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television and three BAFTA Television Award nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance.
On 8 May 2022, the BBC announced that Gatwa would become the fourteenth incarnation of The Doctor in the television series Doctor Who . He will assume the role once Jodie Whittaker leaves the role at the end of 2022. Gatwa’s casting makes him the first non-white actor to play the role in the lead capacity.
Gatwa was born in Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda, on 15 October 1992. His father, Tharcisse Gatwa, who hails from the Karongi District, is a journalist with a PhD in theology.
Gatwa was raised in Scotland, primarily in Edinburgh and Dunfermline. He attended Boroughmuir High School and Dunfermline High School and graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow with a BA in Acting in 2013.
Gatwa began acting with a brief role in the 2014 sitcom Bob Servant . In 2015, he appeared in a supporting role in the miniseries Stonemouth , an adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name. That same year, he performed in the Kneehigh Theatres production of 946 , which was adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips about the rehearsals for the D-Day landing in Devon with numerous fatalities. Gatwa starred in the role of Demetrius in the 2016 production of A Midsummer’s Nights Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe directed by Emma Rice.
In May 2018, Gatwa was cast in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education as Eric Effiong; the show was released in 2019 and garnered critical acclaim. Gatwa received praise for his portrayal of Eric from audiences and critics alike, particularly for how his character was not relegated to the cliché of “gay or Black best friend slash sidekick stock character”. He has earned numerous accolades for the role, which include winning a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television in 2020, and earning three BAFTA Television Award nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance, one in 2020, 2021 and 2022 consecutively.
On 8 May 2022, Gatwa posted an Instagram picture featuring two heart emoji, a plus sign, and a blue box. The post, alongside comments from incoming Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, led to speculation that Gatwa had been cast as the 14th incarnation of the show’s protagonist, The Doctor. This was later confirmed by the official Doctor Who Twitter account.
