In 1963, the BBC began to broadcast a little show about a strange man that flew around in a time-traveling spaceship. The Time Lord, also known as Doctor Who or The Doctor, was an extraterrestrial being who appears human in nearly all aspects, except for his two hearts and a few other discrepancies. He would travel in a ship he called the TARDIS, which from the outside looked like an old British police telephone box – a common sight during the time the show first aired.

Accompanied by the odd friends here and there, The Doctor worked to save worlds and civilizations. Needless to say, the show became a hit and a cultural phenomenon. As the show has continued over the past 60 years, there have been many iterations of The Doctor. The time-traveling scoundrel has the ability to regenerate into different incarnations when his previous body has been too badly harmed to heal normally.

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The Doctors began with William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. From there, viewers saw was Patrick Troughton (1966-1969), Jon Pertwee (1970-1974), Tom Baker (1974-1981), Peter Davison (1982-1984), Colin Baker (1984-1986), Sylvester McCoy (1987-1989), Paul McGann (1996), Christopher Eccleston (2005), David Tennant (2005-2010), Matt Smith (2010-2013), Peter Capaldi (2014-2017), and finally Jodie Whittaker (2017-).

     BBC

The Doctors have cultivated a broad fan base who have taken to calling themselves “Whovians.” The Whovians have always had their opinions when it came to the different iterations being announced. When Matt Smith’s iteration began to showcase naivety, fans questioned it after having the “know-it-all” Tennant version for five years. They asked why the mature Peter Capaldi was cast when the previous young Matt Smith had been the time-traveler, and finally, there was the casting of Jodie Whittaker. Many questioned why The Doctor was suddenly changing genders, and a group even adopted the hashtag #NotMyDoctor.

However, when the announcement came of the most recent incarnation, the incredibly talented Ncuti Gatwa, it was met with resounding applause.

The Impressive Audition

     Netflix

There were many guesses as to who the next Doctor would be, but it seems the casting of Gatwa took the fandom by a welcome surprise. This was much to show-runner Russell T. Davies’ amusement, as he had previously planted “a couple misleading leads” about the Doctor’s new identity. “None of you guessed,” Davies gloated to RadioTimes, “He’s so brilliant and so popular, he wasn’t even guessed, so I’m feeling a little bit victorious here.” The showrunner kept the secret of Gatwa’s turn as the Doctor for three months after being blown away by an incredible audition.

According to Davies’ interview with the BBC, he stated that Gatwa gave a “blazing” audition. In fact, it was the very last audition, and Davies had already thought they had settled on someone when “[Gatwa] came in and stole it.” Gatwa “seized hold of The Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds.” The showrunner, who has returned after a hiatus from the show, is thrilled to work with Gatwa and says, “the future is here, and it is Ncuti!” Gatwai, while not being the first Black iteration of The Doctor (Jo Martin as “Fugitive Doctor”), he will be the first Black actor to helm the show in the title role.

‘Who’ is Ncuti Gatwa?

The newest member of the Who family was born and raised in Scotland after his family fled the Rwandan genocide when he was a toddler. The 29-year-old actor is best known for his work on the hit British teen comedy Netflix original series Sex Education (2019-). In the show, Gatwa plays the role of Eric Effiong, a gay teen navigating his sexuality and identity while dealing with a religious Nigerian family, a bully-turned-boyfriend, and his friends’ dramatic antics. Gatwa carries the role with superb comedic timing and witty one-liners that have made him an instant fan favorite. The young actor was nominated for three BAFTA Television Awards in 2020, 2021, and 2022 for Best Male Comedy Performance and even won a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television in 2020.

The actor has said that while he is going to try to do his own thing with the role, he wants to respect the fan base and the iconic series. “This role 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 said in an interview with BBC. He continued, “Unlike The Doctor, I may only have one heart, but I am giving it all to this show.”

Time to Make Doctor Who Exciting Again

When news broke of the newest Doctor’s identity, fans celebrated. Many felt they finally had a Doctor that looked like them. The Twitter-sphere has been taken over by many commenting on the news. Film critic Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews) wrote,

Many have shared the same sentiment, and the news has even called up new fans. Actress Kelechi (@kelechnekoff) wrote:

It seems that the influx of new viewers is precisely what the powers at play had in mind when casting Gatwa. The show has, in recent years, lost much of its younger viewership. With Gatwa now at the helm – and his target audience being late teens to adults in their 20s – there is a lot of hope that the show could go through a reawakening of sorts. BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore agreed with the new direction, stating: