The Doctor's newest face has been revealed! With the exciting surprise news of Ncuti Gatwa's casting on May 8th, now is the perfect time for viewers to learn more about the latest Doctor before he's handed the TARDIS keys from the previous Doctor, Whittaker. The up and coming actor Gatwa will lead the second era by showrunner Davies who previously was responsible for reviving Doctor Who in 2005. Viewers can familiarize themselves with Gatwa, and his previous work before he gets to play the Doctor in 2023 after Whittaker regenerates in the Centennial special.
He Starred In Sex Education
Gatwa is most known forSex Education, where he played Eric Effiong, a gay British-Nigerian young man.
The popularity of Sex Education with young people should bring in new audiences who are excited to see Gatwa take on the role of the Doctor. This will help inspire new Doctor Who fans who otherwise might not watch the program. The new audiences could help grow Doctor Who into a bigger community of fans.
He Has Won Many Awards
Gatwa Sex Education, including the Best Actor award at the Scottish BAFTAs in 2020 and Performance of the Year at the 2020 Rose d'Or Awards.
Although many amazing performances go unrecognized by awards, the fact that Gatwa is so acclaimed already for his previous performance is a good sign. For such a young up and coming actor he has already achieved a lot in the television acting world. This gives a good indication of what Gatwa can do when he takes on the role of the Doctor.
He Will Star In Barbie
Gatwa has a role in the big screen adaptation of Barbie. This role will offer audiences another opportunity to see Gatwa in action. Perhaps viewers who see the Barbie movie will be likely to watch Gatwa in Doctor Who as well.
Although neither the tone of Barbie movie nor Gatwa's role in the film has been disclosed, the young viewers that are likely to watch the film may also come to watch Doctor Who.
He Is The First Doctor To Be Born Outside The U.K.
Gatwa makes history as the first Doctor born outside of the U.K. The actor was a toddler when he and his parents fled from Rwanda.
This is groundbreaking casting that will make more diverse viewers feel represented both in the U.K. and internationally. It could also open up new doors to future Doctors being much more diverse. Gatwa could become an ambassador for Who viewers that are immigrants themselves.
He Was Raised In Scotland
After he and his parents fled Rwanda, Gatwa was raised in Scotland. This makes Gatwa the fourth Scottish actor to portray the Doctor (the others being Capaldi, Tennant, and McCoy).
Gatwa's having roots in Rwanda and Scotland could be interesting in regards to what accent he could use as the Doctor. He could use his natural accent - which has some Scottish and Rwandan - or he could use a totally different accent, much how the Scottish Tennant used an Estuary accent as the Doctor.
He Has Dealt With Homelessness
According to an interview for the Daily Mail, before Gatwa got the role of Eric in Sex Education, he was homeless.
Gatwa sharing his experience of his struggle with homelessness raises awareness of the issue of homeless young people. Sharing this could give hope to others who are in similar situations. By telling others about this harrowing experience he could give people hope that they could turn their lives around similarly.
His Name Is Not Pronounced The Way It's Spelled
Ncuti Gatwa's name is pronounced SHOO-ti GAT-wa It's important to know that Gatwa's first name is not pronounced the way it is spelled, because otherwise this may not be obvious to people.
Fans will need to know how to pronounce his name correctly as they will be discussing him a lot during his tenure as the Doctor.
He's So Good He "Stole" The Role
According to the BBC, Davies had this to say about Gatwa's audition:
"It was our last audition. It was our very last one," the writer and producer said. "We thought we had someone, and then in he came and stole it."
"I'm properly, properly thrilled. It's going to be a blazing future."
This just shows how good of an actor Gatwa is - that they already had someone in mind but they gave it to Gatwa instead. This gives future insight into just how amazing he could be in the role of the Doctor that he "thrilled" Davies during the audition. If Gatwa is that impressive at the audition, then think of how well he could do later on.
He Wants To Fight The Master
The Radio Times states that in an interview with Sky News, Gatwa was asked what villains he would like to fight the most, and Gatwa and Davies had this to say:
"Any baddies? Oh! I don't know who's coming up," he began.
Davies went on: "New ones," before Gatwa suggested: "Maybe the Master? The Master, I think."
Davies interjected: "Or the Missy. The Master can be female as well."
This could have a lot of potential with either Dewan, Missy, or a new Master. With Dewan or Missy it could be fascinating to see how a different Doctor than they are usually paired with interacts with them. Both of these Masters have gone up against previous incarnations of the Doctor (Thirteen with Dewan, and Twelve with Missy), so it would be interesting to see how Gatwa would be different. If Gatwa gets a new Master it could be intriguing, as Masters are often dark reflections of their Doctors. It would be fascinating to see who would be cast as the Master opposite Gatwa.
He Is The First Black Actor To Lead Doctor Who
Gatwa will make history as the first BIPOC actor to lead the BBC series. This is a very important step in the history of Doctor Who.
While BIPOC actress Jo Martin also made important progress by playing the Fugitive Doctor, Gatwa being cast as the full time lead in Doctor Who will help open up the role of the Doctor to more casting possibilities in the future. This important milestone could also help more diverse audiences see themselves in the Doctor and help inspire them.