12 December 2023 , 18:49
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Ncuti Gatwa bursts onto the screen this Christmas as the 15th Doctor and says he’s thrilled to bring “his beautiful blackness” to the role.
At a screening in London the Sex Education star, 31, was asked what was different about his version of the Time Lord. He said: “It is such a hard question to answer because the role of the Doctor is everything anyway. He is an explorer who has been around for a billion years so they have so many quirks and intricacies, rage and joy and they are full of a lot of emotions.
“So to pick what I was going to bring out differently is a very hard question to answer. I guess myself, my black beautiful self. I bring my blackness.” The Rwanda-born actor follows on from guest star Jo Martin, who appeared as the “fugitive” Doctor in 2021 and was hailed as the first black actor to command the TARDIS at the time.
Ncuti stars alongside Millie Gibson (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
The actor shared his excitement about the role (PA)He said he was overjoyed to have landed the plum part and loved working with showrunner Russell T Davies and ex-Coronation Street star Millie Gibson, who is his time-travelling companion. “It feels so, so, so surreal,” he laughed. "We have seen that blue box and heard the theme for many years and to see my face it is like ‘What is going on?’ But it is exhilarating. I have the best writer and the best companion. It was a joy – daunting, exhilarating and fun.”
Ncuti, who moved to Scotland with his family aged two, said he was looking forward to seeing what new Doctor Who items would be available to buy. “We have not seen any merchandise yet but I look forward to seeing myself on underpants,” he quipped.
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Russell said he had known immediately that the actor, best known as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, was the right person for the job. “I did the audition with Ncuti and it was one of the most astonishing afternoons of my life. It was just so amazing to see him face-to-face. And he did one audition. Normally there is like 27 auditions, but wow he did it once and just got it.”
The writer also knew he wanted Millie, having been impressed with her as Kelly Neelan on the famous cobbles. He said: “You can tell when writers like a character on a soap as they give them a lot to do. Kelly was a drug addict and kidnapped her own father. I sat watching thinking ‘They like her.’”
Millie, 19, said she could not be “happier or prouder” to have joined the cast as Ruby Sunday. She said: “We feel the pressure but the fanbase alone is so supportive – they will defend me as if their lives depend on it. We are lucky to have them, otherwise there is no show.”
In the Christmas special viewers will learn that her character is an orphan, abandoned on the steps of a church. As she seeks to unravel the secrets of her birth, Ruby meets the Doctor and they fight flesh-eating goblins.
- Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road, BBC1, Christmas Day, 5.55pm