The BBC has announced that the 14th Doctor has been cast, with Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa set to take charge of the TARDIS after current regeneration Jodie Whittaker departs the sci-fi drama later this year.
The Rwanda-born, Scotland-raised Gatwa, will be the first Black actor to helm the classic British sci-fi show, but he won’t be the first Black Doctor.
Jo Martin debuted as the series’ first Black Doctor in 2020. Her Doctor made an appearance in a January episode of the show, but it wasn’t intended to take Whittaker’s place.
Martin’s character, called ‘The Fugitive Doctor,’ appeared with Whittaker’s as a previously unseen prior regeneration of The Doctor, much like John Hurt’s ‘The War Doctor’ did with David Tennant (the 10th Doctor) and Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) in 2013.
Her character is first introduced as Ruth Clayton, an Earth civilian whom The Doctor shows up to protect from an alien fugitive. She reveals herself to Whittaker’s Doctor as a past version of The Doctor after her memory is restored.
Prior to Whittaker and Gatwa, thirteen leads had been white men: William Hartnell (1963–1966), Patrick Troughton (1966–1969), Jon Pertwee (1970–1974), Tom Baker (1974–1981), Peter Davison (1982–1984), Colin Baker (1984–1986), Sylvester McCoy (1987–1989), Paul McGann (1996), Christopher Eccleston (2005), David Tennant (2005–2010), Matt Smith (2010–2013) and Peter Capaldi (2014–2017).
Ncuti Gatwa rose to fame after playing the loveable Eric Effiong in Netflix’s Sex Education, released in 2019 — a role that has earned him a string of awards nominations, including several BAFTA Television Awards nominations.
He has also been cast in Margot Robbie’s upcoming Barbie movie, which is due for release in 2023. Directed by Greta Gerwig the film will also star Sex Education co-stars Emma Mackey and Connor Swindells.
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