'You’ll Never Do A Job Like This Again': Sex Education Star Ncuti Gatwa Shares Advice He Got From Previous Doctor Who Actors

Ncuti Gatwa will soon start his first full season as the 15th Doctor in the long-running BBC sci-fi series, Doctor Who, and he got some some insightful advice from previous actors.

Updated on Apr 24, 2024  |  12:37 PM IST |  44.6K
Ncuti Gatwa Shares Advice He Got From Previous Doctor Who Actors
Ncuti Gatwa (PC: IMDb)

Ncuti Gatwa, the Sex Education and Barbie actor, will soon start his first full season as the 15th Doctor in the long-running BBC sci-fi series, Doctor Who, the British science fiction television series. In an article released on the Doctor Who website, Gatwa said, "This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavor my utmost to do the same." 

Gatwa revealed that he has received advice from his predecessors as he steps into the show. Previous Doctor Who stars, including Jodie Whittaker have advised him to enjoy the process of playing the Doctor. He is the first actor of African descent, the fourth from Scotland, the first to be openly queer, and the first black actor to play the lead in a TV show.

Ncuti Gatwa (PC: IMDb)

What Advice Ncuti Gatwa Received From Previous Doctor Who Actors? 

New Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa reveals the valuable advice he has received from the previous actors of the Doctor Who show. In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Gatwa said that he got support from previous Doctors — including Jodie Whittaker, Peter Capaldi, Matt Smith, David Tennant, Sylvester McCoy, and more.

“They’ve all been absolute angels,” Gatwa told EW. “It’s a very small, very exclusive club, and it’s just nice to know that other people have gone through that experience as well. That solidarity from the other Doctors has been really nice.”

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While he added that whoever has spoken to him gave him a separate piece of advice, one thing remains common- to have fun while playing the character. 

“The main thing that everyone has told me is: Remember to have fun,” he said. “Remember that even on the most tiring days, this job is one that not many people get to do. You’ll never do a job like this again in your life, and you’ll never get to creatively go to the places that you get to go to on the show. So, soak it all in.”

In a separate interview with Screen Rant also, he revealed what advice he got from the other doctors. "It's going to be the maddest time of my life. It's going to be the biggest rollercoaster of my life, but it's going to be the best time as well," he told the site. 

"This is a very fun show, and it's important to have fun with it. And I now learning to take that advice on board," he went on to say. 

Before his first appearance as the Fifteenth Doctor, Gatwa made an uncredited cameo as himself, in costume as the Doctor, during an edited repeat of the 2013 docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time. Gatwa made his debut in last year’s 60th-anniversary special, The Giggle. 


Ncuti Gatwa Received Backlash And He Could Not Believe It 

Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black Doctor in the long-running Doctor Who series, could not believe it when some people became angry over his casting in the show. "I got a brief glimpse of it in initial casting, but it’s not something I’ll avidly keep up on," Gatwa said of the social media complaints over his Doctor Who casting, per Attitude.  

The former Sex Education star had initial doubts over why he had been cast in the lead role in the sci-fi drama. "Now I’m settled, it’s so much fun," Gatwa told Empire magazine. "The character is so much fun… now." 

“We do see a shift happening in casting, in positions of power, and in the status quo,” Gatwa added in his chat with Attitude. “I mean, not a fast shift, things could tip over the other way a little bit quicker, but you see people kind of malfunctioning because things are changing.”

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“We’re trained to be like, ‘If I’m not exceptional, I won’t be loved.’ Certainly, I think that was my thing,” Gatwa said. “So, yeah, I think I’m just learning now like, ‘You are allowed to be loved.’ You don’t have to be excellent or aspire to that term, ‘Black excellence.’ What the hell?”

Other confirmed actors for Doctor Who include a music-themed adversary played by Jinkx Monsoon, as well as Jemma Redgrave and Bonnie Langford as returning allies Kate Stewart and Mel Bush. Former showrunner Steven Moffat will also return to write an episode of the new season, officially titled "Boom."

Doctor Who season 14 debuts its first two episodes on 10 May on BBC at midnight, with both installments available to watch on BBC One later that day, right before the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest. US viewers can watch the episodes on Disney+.

ALSO READ: Doctor Who Season 14 Trailer: Ncuti Gatwa And Ruby Sunday Visits Space Stations From The Past; DEETS Inside

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