Doctor Who's latest star Ncuti Gatwa has revealed that he was expecting a negative response when he was first announced as the 15th Doctor.
Speaking to Vogue, the Sex Education star said he was "really surprised" at the reaction he actually got when the BBC revealed he was replacing Jodie Whittaker as the next mainline Time Lord. "I was geared up for a lot of hate", he told the publication. "But the response was so positive, and that was overwhelming."
Ncuti Gatwa was working on Greta Gerwig's Barbie when the next Doctor's identity was finally revealed, and Ncuti went on to reveal that one of his co-stars was actually a big Doctor Who fan. "I remember Ryan Gosling bounding up to my trailer like, 'Doctor Who is the coolest show in the world man! I'm the biggest fan.' And I was like, 'What the hell?' This show has incredible reach."
He also shared that he found keeping the news quiet pretty hard! "Keeping it a secret until the announcement was very difficult. I'd often get a little tipsy in Soho House, make a new best friend in the bathroom, tell them and run off. Thankfully, it never got out."
Ncuti Gatwa is due to take over the role full-time with this year's festive special, with Doctor Who season 14 to follow. For his adventures in time and space, he'll be joined by Coronation Street star Millie Gibson as his new companion, Ruby Sunday.
We've been treated to a steady stream of news about the forthcoming series, including the reveal of guest stars like Jonathan Groff and some looks at his and Millie's stylish looks from some of the upcoming episodes.
Before Ncuti takes over, we've got the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials to look forward to. They'll see David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning to play the Doctor and Donna Noble for an exciting three-part miniseries to mark the occasion.
Tennant recently talked about his Doctor Who return. He called it 'a victory lap, in a way', adding: "you get to enjoy something that had meant so much to you, one last shot before you get too old to do it again."
The 60th-anniversary specials are due to air on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and on Doctor Who's new home on Disney Plus in the US in November 2023.
