The newly-announced Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa secured the coveted Time Lord role at the final audition in front of incoming show boss Russell T Davies. Gatwa has been seen for the first time in public this afternoon on the red carpet at the Bafta TV Awards in London.
Davies, who returns to the show he relaunched back in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, said Gatwa’s talent had landed him the role, adding: “It was the most blazing audition, it was our last audition, it was the very last one, we thought we had someone and then in he came and stole it!”.
Sex Education star Gatwa said he has known since February that he would be taking over the role from Jodie Whittaker and revealed it has been “tricky” keeping the news to himself. Speaking to BBC News on the red carpet at the TV Baftas, he said: “I’ve known since about February, (it’s) been tricky trying to keep this under wraps because I’ve got a very big mouth.
"But yeah, we did it. It feels really amazing and it’s a true honour, this role is an institution and it’s so iconic and it means a lot to so many people including myself and so it makes everyone feel seen as well, it’s something everyone can enjoy so I feel very grateful to have had the baton handed over and I’m going to try do my best.”
The 29-year-old will become the 14th Doctor on the popular BBC show, after Whittaker announced last July she will be leaving the role.
Scottish actor Gatwa, who was born in Rwanda, has starred as Eric Effiong in Netflix’s hugely popular Sex Education about socially awkward high school student Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his sex therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson).
Speaking later, Russell T Davies said he cast Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor because he could see him developing the role in new ways for many years.
He told the PA news agency: “When you see him you don’t know what you are going to get. And I fell in love, frankly. He is stunning.
“He did an audition and when you meet him… I think when you cast the Doctor you cast for potential. I can see him for years exploring the part and taking it somewhere new. That’s what I felt. I felt in my heart that we can go anywhere with this.”
He said he had been “crossing his fingers” that Gatwa would say yes to the role and “hit the roof” when he did.
Asked about his own vision for the show, Davies said he wanted to allow Jodie Whittaker to complete her tenure as the Doctor before revealing more.
He said: “Lovely Jodie Whittaker, who I adore, I spoke to her yesterday. We phoned her yesterday to tell her about Ncuti. She is still the Doctor.
“She has got an enormous finale, an epic finale, a 90-minute finale in October. So we are polite gentlemen. It is only right and fair to shut up. 2023 you will be fed up of us. We will be ready by then. Until then we bow to Jodie. We love her.”
