NCUTI GATWA GIVES FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE DOCTOR WHO ANNOUNCEMENT

The BBC has today announced Ncuti Gatwa is the new Doctor set to take charge of the TARDIS.

Star of stage and screen, Ncuti is best known for his critically acclaimed performance in Sex Education as the iconic Eric Effiong, for which he was awarded Best Actor Award at the Scottish BAFTA’s in 2020 as well as numerous nominations including Best Male Performance in a comedy programme at this year’s BAFTA’s.

Ncuti and incoming (returning) showrunner Russell T. Davies have given their first interview to BBC News on the red carpet ahead of the 2022 BAFTA TV Awards. They were questioned by BBC News Entertainment Correspondent Lizo Mzimba.

Ncuti: "I've known since about February, so it's been tricky trying to keep this under wraps because I've got a very big mouth. But yeah, we've done it - we did it! It feels really amazing. It's a true honour. This role is an institution. It's iconic and it means a lot to so many people - including myself. I'm going to try my best."

"I'm definitely going to do my own thing. They're [previous Doctors] amazing. You cannot pick. Yeah, I don't know who isn't a fan of Doctor Who so I'm very excited to join the family.

Russell: "It was his talent. It was the most blazing audition. It was our last audition. It was our very last one. We thought we had someone and then in he came. It's just gonna be a joy. I'm properly, properly thrilled. It's going to be a blazing future..."

Russell: "It's a show that constantly renews itself. Look at Nucti, here we are. Doctor Who always has something new to say, but we're not gonna give anything away yet. Jodie is still the Doctor. We love Jodie, we spoke to her yesterday and she is so happy about this. We're going to keep quiet and it's all going to happen in 2023."

Nucti: "I'm excited to battle aliens. The job is going to be, and is already, really creatively fulfilling, so I'm just excited to take on the role."