Ncuti Gatwa is lined up to be in BBC’s Doctor Who, not as the Fourteenth but as the Fifteenth Doctor! He will be taking up the role of the Doctor after the 60th Anniversary Specials in 2023, so while we wait, here’s a list of other Ncuti Gatwa performances to admire!
Doctor Who’s “The Power of the Doctor,” and Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor, revealed in a shocking twist the Fourteenth Doctor to be David Tennant, momentarily reprising his role as the Doctor back in the form of his Tenth regeneration. Rest assured that in a comment from head writer, Russel T. Davies, to BBC’s Doctor Who commercial website, he clarified that David will be the Fourteenth Doctor for the 60th Anniversary Specials only, and then Ncuti Gatwa will then take over the role as the Fifteenth Doctor soon after. We even see a sneak peek of Ncuti in a brief but mysterious role in the 60th Anniversary Specials teaser below that may or may not be Fifteenth Doctor himself!
All that being said, Ncuti is still lined up to be the Doctor! Let’s get to know Ncuti Gatwa a little more by exploring some of the roles he’s played in the past, so that we may hold ourselves over while we wait for our new Doctor to appear.
Eric Effiong in Sex Education
Sex Education is a British comedy-drama series that follows a teenage boy, Otis Milburn, with a sex therapist mother, Jean, as he teams up with a fellow classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at his high school. Certainly Ncuti’s most iconic role to date, Eric Effiong is Otis’s best friend who comes from a religious Ghanaian-Nigerian family. Eric also happens to be gay, and a lot of his journey throughout the series is about being out and proud about his sexuality despite what other people may think of him. Eric is much beloved by fans for the bright and fun personality that Ncuti brought to the role. This role truly set the stage for Ncuti to become the silly, but ancient Doctor, and if you want to catch up on Sex Education you can do so by streaming it on Netflix.
Nick in The Last Letter from Your Lover
The Last Letter from Your Lover is a British romantic drama about a journalist who finds a series of love letters from an illicit affair in the 1960s and sets out to solve the mystery of what happened to the two lovers. Heartfelt and filled with classic romance tropes galore, Ncuti graces this film with the role of Nick, the journalist’s co-worker. To catch him in a romance movie to die for, watch The Last Letter from Your Lover exclusively on Netflix.
Valentin Manzi in GRID Legends
GRID Legends is a racing video game, and when in the story-focused mode, “Driven to Glory,” follows Driver 22 as the underdog taking the dominant team, Ravenwest Racing. Ncuti plays, in both a voice and motion capture performance, Valentin Manzi, the number one driver for Voltz Racing, another competitor to Driver 22. Highly competitive, but with somewhat of a moral compass, Valentin is a highlight for many who have played the game. Catch Ncuti in the role by playing GRID Legends on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.
Ken in Barbie
Surprise! Another role on this list that Ncuti has played, but audiences have yet to see, is his role as one of the many Kens in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film, Barbie. Premiering on July 21, 2023, Barbie is going to be a romantic comedy based on the famous Mattel doll line, Barbie, with Margot Robbie as Barbie herself and Ryan Gosling as… another Ken. Knowing Ncuti and how amazing and beloved all of his performances have been, this role will not disappoint! Coming out the same year as his debut as the Doctor, it’ll be interesting to play spot-the-difference and see just how good Ncuti’s range can be. Go see Barbie in theaters in July 2023, and look out for more Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special news!
