Yahoo News Ncuti Gatwa says “Doctor Who” fans had his back when star accidentally posted email address online
Actor's first full adventure as Time Lord premieres on Christmas Day.
2023 was a crazy year for Ncuti Gatwa thanks to his appearances in the big screen blockbuster Barbie, season 4 of Netflix's Sex Education, and, of course, Doctor Who, with the actor debuting his version of the titular Time Lord on the last of the show's 60th anniversary special episodes.
Gatwa himself describes his recent history as, "a whirlwind, a massive whirlwind. I had a bit of an introduction into the madness of what I do with Sex Education. My feet were slowly finding their way back down to the ground again, and then Doctor Who came about, and it was like, 'Oh, wow, life is crazy!' But what has been really nice this year is being so welcomed by the Whovians who took me into their bosom very, very lovingly."
"I accidentally posted my email address the other day on Instagram and people started emailing me being like, 'By the way, huge fan, but you’ve posted your email, take it down!!!' I thought, this fandom has my back, man, and I appreciate it massively," he continues. "It’s a very warm place to be and I feel very grateful to have found my way into that world."
Lara Cornell/Bad Wolf/BBC Studio
Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa on 'Doctor Who'Gatwa's first full adventure as the new Doctor is titled "The Church on Ruby Road" and was written by showrunner Russell T Davies. This special Christmas episode premieres on Dec. 25 and introduces the Doctor's new companion, Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.
"It starts 18 years ago, on a road called Ruby Road, where a baby is left on a doorstep," says Gatwa. "18 years later we meet Ruby Sunday and she is being followed around by a lot of bad luck — and also goblins. Cue the Doctor! And cue madness! It’s a really perfect Christmas episode. It’s full of snow, and carols, and adventure, and high stakes, and a lot of running, and a lot of pressure to save the world, and to save time. [Laughs] But jolly!"
Gatwa reveals that playing the Doctor was, literally, on his wish list of roles.
"I text my agent one week and said, 'Next project after Sex Education, I would love something like Willy Wonka or Doctor Who,'" says the Rwandan-Scottish actor. "She calls me up the next week, she said, 'Russell T Davies has just asked you to come in.'" Gatwa recalls that he, "spent the week watching Doctor Who, went in lines learned, did the audition in front of most of the execs and the casting director and Russell, then left the room thinking, 'That was a lovely hour of my life, I’m never going to get that.' But thankfully I got the job."
Gatwa was still shooting Barbie when he was announced as the new Doctor in the spring of 2022. The actor's costar Ryan Gosling was subsequently photographed on set wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with an image of Gatwa as the Doctor. The Who star confirms that the Canadian actor is a fan of the sci-fi show.
"Yeah, I mean, talk about a wild world," he says. "I went into work, and Ryan Gosling comes up to me, and is like, 'I’m a fan of the show!' I was like, for God’s sake, this is ridiculous now. Life is ridiculous now. I don’t know what to tell you, Clark, the show reaches far and wide!"
The Doctor Who special Christmas episode premieres on Disney+ Dec. 25. A new season of the show, starring Gatwa and Gibson, will debut next year.
Watch the teaser trailer for "The Church on Ruby Road" below.
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