Ncuti Gatwa’s version of Doctor Who “chimes with queer energy”
Ncuti Gatwa has effortlessly shut down critics of his Doctor Who casting. The British actor, who memorably rose to fame with his performance as Eric Effiong on Netflix’s Sex Education, has succeeded Jodie Whittaker as the BBC sci-fi drama’s Fifteenth Doctor.
Gatwa made his debut in ‘The Giggle’ in the show’s 60th anniversary specials (9 December 2023), before starring in his first full episode, ‘The Church on Ruby Road’, on Christmas Day.
As the franchise’s first-ever Black and queer actor to take on the iconic title character, Gatwa’s performance was met with universal critical acclaim.
However, his casting did result in backlash from racists and homophobes. In a new interview with Variety, Gatwa addressed the archaic criticism, saying his casting “makes perfect sense to me”: “I feel like anyone that has a problem with someone who’s not a straight white man playing this character, you’re not really, truly a fan of the show. “You’ve not been watching!
