Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis
- Publication: Daily Mirror
- Date: 2022-05-09
- Author: Tom Bryant
- Page: 9
- Language: English
Sex Education star on landing Doctor role
INCOMING Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has had an extraordinary journey from war-torn Africa to time-travelling adventures in the Tardis.
The 29-year-old has been named as the 14th Doctor, taking the baton from Jodie Whittaker.
He will become the first black actor to play the title role full time after Jo Martin made a guest appearance as a previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor in 2020.
On the red carpet at yesterday's TV Baftas, he said: "I got cast in February and I have been keeping it a secret since then.
"So it is nice to finally breathe. But I'm also really nervous. It is an incredibly iconic role. I just hope I do it justice. I am following in some very, very big footsteps:
Ncuti has previously told how he was born in Kigali, Rwanda, before his family fled the country's genocide when he was two.
They settled in Scotland. His father studied at the University of Edinburgh, which also gave the family somewhere to live.
Ncuti said: "They had these accommodations for international families, so there was just a whole big estate with a big garden meadow in the middle."
But his dad struggled to get a job and moved back to Africa, while his mum worked at several jobs in Scotland.
He insists that his mother's struggle raising him and two siblings inspired her children to excel at school.
But in 2020 he told the Big Issue magazine that he spent months "couch-surfing" before landing his breakout role as Eric Effiong in Netflix's Sex Education.
He said: "The only thing stopping me from being on the streets was the fact that I had friends. But you can use up that good will.
"To go to my audition, I had to get my friend to transfer me 10 quid so I could top up my Oyster card"
Speaking about how the Doctor relates to diversity, he said: "They don't fit in anywhere and I think for marginalised people they have been a real beacon of feeling seen in a way.
"They are someone that can help people escape, which I love" Asked what he will bring to the BBC role, he said: "I don't know... fabulousness?!"
Russell T Davies is returning as the Doctor Who show-runner, after reviving it in 2005 and leaving in 2009. He said of the audition process: "Sometimes talent walks through the door and ifs- so bright and bold... Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those Tardis keys in seconds."
Ncuti said of his new employer: "Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is a dream come true. The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show. And so as much as it's daunting, I'm aware I'm joining a really supportive family,"
In 2020 Ncuti was named the best actor at the Scottish Baftas for his role in Sex Education. He was nominated for best male in a comedy programme at last night's Bafta TV awards but lost out to Jamie Demetriou for Stath Lets Flats.
Captions:
TOP CLASS With Asa Butterfield in Sex Education
STYLE ICON Ncuti at the Baftas yesterday
CUTE Ncuti as a child. He fled Rwanda aged two
WRITE LAUGH Ncuti with show writer and boss Russell T Davies
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- APA 6th ed.: Bryant, Tom (2022-05-09). Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis. Daily Mirror p. 9.
- MLA 7th ed.: Bryant, Tom. "Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis." Daily Mirror [add city] 2022-05-09, 9. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Bryant, Tom. "Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis." Daily Mirror, edition, sec., 2022-05-09
- Turabian: Bryant, Tom. "Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis." Daily Mirror, 2022-05-09, section, 9 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Ncuti%27s_time_travel..from_Rwanda_to_Scotland_to_the_Tardis | work=Daily Mirror | pages=9 | date=2022-05-09 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=6 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Ncuti's time travel..from Rwanda to Scotland to the Tardis | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Ncuti%27s_time_travel..from_Rwanda_to_Scotland_to_the_Tardis | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=6 May 2025}}</ref>
