Ncuti Gatwa has opened up about how “powerful” his upcoming turn as the Doctor in Doctor Who is for representation.
The Sex Education actor is set to take over the TARDIS reins in 2023, despite Whittaker’s final episode, The Power of the Doctor, delivering a regeneration twist that saw David Tennant reprise the role as part of the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
Gatwa spoke about the series’s importance during a lunch hosted by the BBC and Disney, whose streamer Disney Plus will be the home of Doctor Who outside of the UK. He said the roots of the series “are so deep in British culture and the fabric of British-ness that as a Rwandan immigrant to the country, it feels just really powerful”.
Ncuti Gatwa took the TARDIS for a quick spin today to celebrate the news that #DoctorWho is coming to to the @bbc and @disneyplus in 2023 ✨ pic.twitter.com/rf7mjoPdL5
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022
He added: “For people of colour, for marginalised people who really gravitate towards the show because it’s about friendship and it’s about adventure and it’s about union and unity. And also Doctor Who is able to turn into anything or anyone, so the possibilities are endless. So the fact that that mission is going out to lots of people, that the possibilities are endless, is extremely cool.”
Read more about Doctor Who:
- Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill open to Doctor Who returns after exit
- Doctor Who brings back classic Doctors for centenary special
- Jodie Whittaker’s final words in Doctor Who were changed at last minute
- Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor review – A satisfying finale to an erratic four-year chapter
- Doctor Who revisits old companions in touching scene
- Doctor Who’s classic companions on their return: “It was a total joy”
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