{"id":15717,"date":"2022-05-19T15:31:07","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T13:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1648682"},"modified":"2022-05-19T15:57:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T13:57:19","slug":"what-ncuti-gatwas-doctor-who-casting-means-for-sex-education","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/what-ncuti-gatwas-doctor-who-casting-means-for-sex-education\/","title":{"rendered":"What Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s Doctor Who casting means for Sex Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lauren Morris\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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May is proving to be an exciting month for Ncuti Gatwa<\/a>, who the BBC announced as the next actor to play the titular role in Doctor Who<\/a> on the day of the TV BAFTA<\/a>s.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the reaction to this casting news<\/a> was overwhelmingly positive. Gatwa has already won the public over with his performance as Eric Effiong in Netflix\u2019s Sex Education<\/a>, a role which has earned the 29-year-old three BAFTA nominations, and with Gatwa playing the Doctor and appearing in Greta Gerwig\u2019s upcoming Barbie<\/a> film, he\u2019s on track to become a household name (if he wasn\u2019t already).<\/p>\n

With Gatwa\u2019s schedule about to be blocked out by long stretches of filming, press interviews and everything else that comes with playing the Doctor, we can\u2019t help but wonder: what will happen to Sex Education?<\/p>\n

The hugely popular Netflix series aired its third season in September and is set to return for a fourth later this year \u2013 but with Gatwa taking on the mammoth undertaking that is Doctor Who, does this mean Eric Effiong could be written out of the show?<\/p>\n

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Ncuti Gatwa and incoming Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies<\/span><\/figcaption> Dave Benett\/Getty Images)<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

While Netflix declined to comment, fans of the comedy-drama needn\u2019t fret. With Gatwa\u2019s Eric being one of the key characters at the centre of the show thanks to his complicated relationship with Adam Groff (Connor Swindells), his heartwarming friendship with Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his ongoing journey to self-discovery, Sex Education would be losing a large part of its identity if Eric were to suddenly disappear.<\/p>\n

RadioTimes.com<\/a> also understands that Sex Education season 4 filming is planned to take place in between Doctor Who filming blocks this summer \u2013 so production clashes between the two shows are unlikely to happen.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, it\u2019s safe to say that season 4 of Sex Education will be going ahead as usual, with the show following Otis, Eric and Maeve (Emma Mackey) as they navigate the final years of their studies \u2013 although with Maeve moving to America and Moordale closing down in the season 3 finale, it\u2019s unknown how and when the gang will be reuniting.<\/p>\n

Speaking of making it big in the States, Gatwa isn\u2019t the only Sex Education star whose career is on the rise. Simone Ashley announced last month that she wouldn\u2019t be returning to the show<\/a> after starring as Kate Sharma in Bridgerton<\/a>, while Emma Mackey has headed to Hollywood, with Sir Kenneth Branagh\u2019s Death on the Nile already under her belt and main roles in the Barbie movie and an Emily Bronte biopic lined up.<\/p>\n

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Ncuti Gatwa as Eric in Sex Education<\/span><\/figcaption> Sam Taylor\/Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

As the cast of Sex Education become even busier, the making of Sex Education is going to prove even more difficult \u2013 so it\u2019s likely that season 4 is going to be the show\u2019s last outing.<\/p>\n

This wouldn\u2019t come as a huge surprise given that the show\u2019s characters are now approaching their final year at school and that Aimee Lou Wood \u2013 who plays Aimee Gibbs \u2013 previously told RadioTimes.com<\/strong> that the comedy-drama is \u201ccloser now to ending<\/a>\u201c.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s also a part of me that\u2019s like, \u2018No \u2013 we\u2019ve all got to go and do different things and play different parts,’\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t be like 50 saying, \u2018Freshers week!\u2019 So it\u2019s a weird one. It\u2019s a bittersweet thing because it probably is, even if it\u2019s not this series, it probably is closer now to ending than it is to the start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Asa Butterfield told Cosmopolitan UK<\/a> in September last year: \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing it for three years now, and I\u2019d be happy saying goodbye to these characters.\u201d<\/p>

While we\u2019ll be sad to see Sex Education come to an end (if it does conclude with season 4), there\u2019s a lot to look forward to from the ever-growing world of entertainment.<\/p>\n

The Doctor is about to regenerate into Ncuti Gatwa, while Russell T Davies is returning as showrunner, bringing David Tennant and Catherine Tate<\/a> with him and introducing Yasmin Finney<\/a> \u2013 the first transgender actor to play a lead role \u2013 as a new \u2018Rose\u2019.<\/p>\n

Doctor Who is about to take on a whole new legion of fans and welcome back old ones who\u2019ve been missing the Tenth Doctor, while the Sex Education alumni are taking on brand new roles in upcoming projects.<\/p>\n

But you never know \u2013 Netflix may treat us to a Sex Education spin-off in the future. Perhaps we\u2019ll follow Otis to uni? Or watch Aimee as she sets up her own bakery? Either way, I think we can expect Sex Education to go out with a (literal) bang whenever that time comes.<\/p>\n

Doctor Who is available to stream on\u00a0BBC iPlayer<\/a>, while Sex Education seasons 1-3 are on Netflix<\/a>. Check out more of our Sci-Fi<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a> to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n