Ncuti Gatwa is the new Doctor Who. The Rwanda born Scottish actor has been confirmed by the BBC as the 14th incarnation of the iconic character.

Gatwa becomes the first black actor to play the Time Lord in the famous British sci-fi series. He takes over from Jodie Whittaker, who was the first woman to play the Doctor.

Ncuti Gatwa kept his Doctor Who selection a secret

‘A true honour’, says the actor

Gatwa, who is 29, attained critical acclaim for his performance in Netflix series Sex Education. The actor revealed that he had been selected to play Doctor Who in February but he kept it a secret.

“It feels really amazing. It’s a true honour. This role is an institution and it’s so iconic,” he told the BBC. “I feel very grateful to have had the baton handed over and I’m going to try to do my best.”

The actor said the role of the Doctor “means a lot to so many people, including myself”.

Gatwa was speaking on the red carpet before 8 May’s BAFTA TV Awards, where he was nominated in the Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme category for Sex Education.

Speaking to Reuters on the red carpet alongside Gatwa, showrunner Russell T Davies said the actor “bright and bold and brilliant”.

Davies is returning to Doctor Who after leaving in 2009. He also posted a selfie with Gatwa on the red carpet.

Gatwa posted emojis representing Doctor’s Tardis

Just before the announcement, Gatwa had posted two hearts, a plus sign and a blue square on his Instagram. The emojis represent the Doctor’s Tardis, a police telephone box which serves as the character’s time-travelling machine.

Doctor Who was first broadcast in 1963. Several prominent actors have played the central character in the decades since, thanks to the storyline which allows the Doctor the ability to regenerate.

Whittaker had already announced her departure from the show. She is set to appear in the final special episode to mark the BBC’s centenary later this year.

(Main and Featured images: Ncuti Gatwa/ncutigatwa/Instagram)

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