David Tennant and his one piece of advice to new Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa

30 July 2023 , 20:33

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Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will be stepping into The Doctor's shoes (Image: BBC/Bad Wolf)

David Tennant has some advice for the new star of Doctor Who – the monsters are not the only terrifying thing he might face.

David, who played the Doctor from 2005 to 2010, said the role will elevate Ncuti Gatwa to a level of stardom that could take time to get used to. He added: “You can see Ncuti has so much talent and energy. He’s so inspired and charismatic. The thing about this is... it’s not the job. It’s the other stuff that comes with it, that I didn’t see coming. Doctor Who is on a slightly different level. It’s cross-generational, international and has so much history, it feels like it belongs to everyone.

David Tennant played The Doctor for five years alongside Billie Piper (PA)

“To be at the centre of the show is wonderful and humbling, but also a bit overwhelming and terrifying. It doesn’t come without some difficulties, such as the immediate loss of anonymity. It takes a bit of getting used to if that’s not been your life up to that point.”

David, 52, added Ncuti, 30, would be better prepared because he had a big role in global hit series Sex Education. David told Variety that Doctor Who co-star Billie Piper, 40, helped him cope with the limelight. He said: “She’d lived in a glare of publicity since she was 14, so she was a great guide for how to live under that kind of scrutiny. I owe a degree of sanity to Billie."

Nicola Methven