London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Ncuti Gatwa: The Scottish-Rwandan roots of the 14th Doctor Who

Ncuti Gatwa: The Scottish-Rwandan roots of the 14th Doctor Who

"The future is here and it's Ncuti" is how returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies announced the casting of Ncuti Gatwa as the 14th Doctor.

Doctor Who is a drama centred on the renewal and regeneration of its main character and in many ways, 29-year-old Gatwa embodies that renewal.

He arrived in Scotland in 1994 as a refugee fleeing a genocide and is now preparing to take on the role of one of the most iconic characters in British TV.


Who is the new Doctor?


Gatwa was interviewed for the BBC Scotland documentary, Black and Scottish, in 2019


Gatwa was born in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 1992 when the country was already fully embroiled in a civil war. He and his family moved to Scotland when he was just two years old.

He spoke about his experience in 2019, as part of the BBC Scotland documentary Black and Scottish.

"We came to the UK because of the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994," he said.

"We were refugees, we were refugees coming to the UK and I definitely now view myself as a Rwandan-Scotsman. Yes there's such a term and I'm giving it a name today."

Gatwa was raised mostly in Dunfermline and Edinburgh. He attended Boroughmuir High School and Dunfermline High School before moving to Glasgow to study acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The 29-year-old said he didn't encounter many people like him as he grew up in Scotland.

"I definitely felt growing up that I wasn't seen as the same as anyone around me because no-one around me looked like me.

"I remember my mum being like, 'everyone looks the same'. She travelled all around Edinburgh... trying to find someone that was black and she couldn't see anyone.

"Role models? There were no black Scottish role models. I felt like I was the only black person in the world."

Gatwa was part of the graduate actor scheme at Dundee Rep theatre during the 2013-2014 season


The idea that he might become an actor first came when he was 17, and after training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland he moved to London.

Andrew Panton is the artistic director of Dundee Rep Theatre, where Gatwa used to perform. He told BBC Scotland the theatre was hugely proud of him.

"I think Ncuti always had something special about his work, he has always been really focused and there is a mischievousness to a lot of the work he does," he said.

"I will be excited to see what he brings to Doctor Who because every actor who plays that role can do something with it. I have no doubt that Ncuti is going to do something really special."

Gatwa's first TV acting role came with a brief appearance in Scottish sitcom Bob Servant, alongside Brian Cox and Jonathan Watson.

For a time in 2018 he ended up homeless and acting auditions weren't just potential opportunities, they were lifelines.


Breakthrough role


Gatwa plays Eric Effiong in Netflix's Sex Education, receiving several Bafta nominations for the role


In 2019, Gatwa's career took off in a big way after landing a role in Netflix's Sex Education.

He plays Eric Effiong, a gay teenager from a British Nigerian family in the critically-acclaimed series.

His character is bursting with energy, sass and joyfully flamboyant - comfortable in his sexuality, but true to his African heritage.

This was the breakthrough that earned Gatwa a Scottish Bafta and many Bafta nominations as well.

It was also the role that shot him to stardom and eventually into the world of Doctor Who.


'You just are who you are'


Gatwa will be the fourth Scottish actor to take on the role of the Doctor. However, the actor has spoken of his struggle over how to show off his Scottish identity.

"I've always been a bit scared to say that I was Scottish because it was almost as if people wouldn't believe me, or people wouldn't buy that from me, or people wouldn't accept it," he said.

"Now, I think nobody's got the right to tell you who you are. You just are who you are."

Stewart Kyasimire, who made BBC Scotland's Black and Scottish documentary, said Gatwa taking on the role of the Doctor would create a new role model for black Scots.

"I think for the creative community in Scotland and throughout, seeing this young black Scot and seeing him as the next Doctor Who - I think it opens up a lot of conversations," he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme.

"I have been speaking to a lot of people in the black community and they are like, 'I don't know much about Doctor Who but just know that I am 100% invested now.'

"Then you have your Sex Education fans who are a younger demographic as well. It's opened up a wide audience".

Black and Scottish filmmaker Stewart Kyasimire (left) said Gatwa would create a new role model for young black Scots


Davies, who is is returning as Dr Who's showrunner after leaving in 2009, praised Gatwa's "blazing" audition and said he was the future of Doctor Who.

"It was our last audition. It was our very last one," the writer and producer said. "We thought we had someone, and then in he came and stole it.

"I'm properly, properly thrilled. It's going to be a blazing future."

Doctor Who prides itself on being inclusive and a show which provides a safe space for individuality.

Gatwa is likely to open the show up to new audiences and give another generation of fans a new role model when he makes his debut as the Time Lord next year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×