Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has been named the most powerful person on British television, beating broadcaster Huw Edwards to the top spot.
The 30-year-old actor topped the RadioTimes.com TV 100 power list, after rising to prominence for his role as Eric in the Netflix series Sex Education and being set to debut as the Doctor at the end of this year.
Gatwa, who said the accolade was “bloody lovely”, beat the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were ranked 15th, and Edwards, who placed as a runner-up after announcing the death of the Queen last year.
Making up the top five are Heartstopper writer Alice Oseman in second place, White Lotus actor Jennifer Coolidge in fourth, and House of the Dragon breakout star Emma D’Arcy in fifth.
Gatwa said: “Being recognised for anything is just bloody lovely, innit? Let alone being on the RadioTimes.com TV 100 list. TV is on fire at the moment, and so to top the list as well feels extra cool.
“The titans that have topped the list before me, people such as Russell T Davies, Michaela Coel, Jodie Whittaker, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman, are all inspirations to me, and their work is something I aspire to.
“They’re just really great storytellers above all else, and that’s all I could want to do.”
Doctor Who screenwriter Davies, who topped the TV power list last year, said of Gatwa’s win: “Sometimes you know you’ve got a secret. And you hold it close to your chest and let it burn, because secrets are so delicious.
“I’ve got that right now, because my secret is seeing Ncuti with Millie Gibson on the rushes of Doctor Who, every single day, and oh my God, this is so good.
“I can promise you a completely new Doctor, and yet a Doctor utterly faithful to the 60 years that came before. Soon, the secret will be out, and we’ll all be dancing.”
The annual Radio Times TV 100 power list celebrates the standout talents on screen and behind the scenes responsible for landmark moments in 2022.
It is compiled by leading figures from across the creative industries, including the BBC’s director of content, Charlotte Moore, who praised Gatwa’s “incredible dynamism” and boundless energy.
Gatwa also beat The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman, and This Is Going to Hurt writer Adam Kay.
England’s Lionesses appeared in eighth place on the list after their Euro 2022 final victory against Germany, which was “one of the most-watched TV spectacles of the year”, Radio Times said.
Wildlife cameraman and CBeebies presenter Hamza Yassin, who won Strictly Come Dancing 2022, also made the list, alongside Heartstopper cast members Yasmin Finney, Kit Connor and Joe Locke.
Morgan Jeffery, executive editor of RadioTimes.com, said: “I’m immensely proud of 2023’s list, which celebrates the brilliant diversity and vitality of television in all its forms and is led by a thoroughly deserving winner who is one of the industry’s very best and brightest.”
