Ncuti Gatwa

It's finally time for Ncuti Gatwa's first full season of Doctor Who , with Space Babies and The Devil's Chord kicking off the new instalment. Gatwa made his (trouserless) debut in the third and final 60th anniversary special in December, but officially took over the role of the Fifteenth Doctor in the Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road. Now, it's time for a full set of adventures with companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), with the pair adventuring to the 1960s to meet The Beatles and battle Jinkx Monsoon's Maestro, taking a trip to the regency period to meet Jonathan Groff's mysterious Rogue, and encountering Indira Varma's villainous Duchess. So, how much do you know about Ncuti Gatwa, the 31-year-old actor who has been given the keys to the TARDIS ? Read on for everything you need to know about the Doctor Who lead, including where you'll have seen him before. Ncuti Gatwa is a Rwandan-Scottish actor best known for his breakout role as Eric Effiong in Netflix comedy Sex Education. The actor has received three BAFTA TV Award nominations for the role, and has also won a BAFTA Scotland Award for his performance in the series. On Sunday 8th May 2022, it was announced that Gatwa had been cast as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who, taking over from Jodie Whittaker in the regular series – after David Tennant's stint as Fourteen. Davies revealed at a screening of the show's 2023 Christmas special that Gatwa only auditioned for Doctor Who once . He was born in Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda, and raised primarily in Edinburgh and Dunfermline in Scotland. He'll be following in the footsteps of steps of previous Time Lords Sylvester McCoy (Dunoon), Peter Capaldi (Glasgow) and David Tennant (Bathgate), who all grew up in Scotland. Ncuti Gatwa rose to prominence after he made his debut as the charming and charismatic Eric Effiong – a gay student who is best friends with Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), who gives out sex advice to his peers – in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education in 2019. Prior to this role, Gatwa had appeared in the BBC sitcom Bob Servant (2014) and the TV adaptation of the novel Stonemouth (2015). He has also appeared in the 2019 film Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans and the 2021 film The Last Letter from Your Lover. In 2023, Gatwa could be seen in the Greta Gerwig film Barbie , opposite Margot Robbie in the titular role and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Ncuti Gatwa and Russell T Davies attend the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 08, 2022 in London, England. Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images Upon being announced by the BBC as the Fifteenth Doctor, a statement was shared from Ncuti Gatwa. The actor said: "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 utmost 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. Davies described Gatwa's audition as "blazing" and called it "the very last" audition for the part that he saw. Connor Swindells as Adam Groff, Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong, Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn in Sex Education season 3. Sam Taylor/NETFLIX Yes, you can find Ncuti Gatwa's Instagram profile with the handle @ncutigatwa . It was on Instagram that the actor first teased his casting in Doctor Who with an image of four emojis: two hearts, a plus sign and a blue box. Doctor Who premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 11th May 2024. Check our more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming G