TV

Everyone Seems Extremely Chuffed About The New Star Of ‘Doctor Who’

"They know our asses are gonna flock to watch that blue phone box show now. They've got us."

by Reena Gupta  9 May 2022

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Those of you who were scrolling last night in a desperate attempt to avoid the leaders’ debate may have heard the news in real time.

Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa has been cast as the 14th Doctor in the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who. 

The announcement came at around 10pm last night, by way of a rather low-key post from the BBC’s official Twitter account, stating: “The future is here! Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor.”

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The iconic TV series, which first came about in 1963, traces the hijinks of The Doctor — a Time Lord who is able to move through time via TARDIS, the iconic blue phone box that is much more spacious than it appears.

As Time Lords are able to ‘regenerate’, the role has been inhabited by a total of 13 actors so far, most recently, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and at present, Jodie Whittaker. Whittaker’s regeneration episode is set to air in Spring 2022, after which the stage will be set for Ncuti Gatwa to make his debut appearance as the newest Doctor.

Gatwa, who is Rwandan-Scottish, plays Eric in the Netflix series Sex Education and is set to be the first non-white actor to lead the show. He will however, be the fourth Scottish man. Won’t somebody think about the Welsh?

The reaction on social media seemed to be one of pretty much universal jubilation, as both fans of Gatwa and the franchise seemed besides themselves with joy.

Here are some of our favourite reactions to the announcement.