New Doctor Who, who escaped genocide in Rwanda and was homeless before his big acting break – wooed Russell T Davies with his ‘beautiful blackness’ to win iconic role
After an intense 15 minutes during which new Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa was ripped from the body of his fellow Time Lord played by David Tennant, Whovians – as fans of the long-running BBC sci-fi show are known – finally got a glimpse of him. your man.
In Converse and no trousers, the latest Doctor Who to grace our Saturday evening screens perfectly complemented the upcoming Christmas special – his feature debut.
And with Russell T. Davies back at the helm of writing, season 39 looks promising for fans – also starring Millie Gibson as the Doctor’s companion Ruby Sunday.
When asked how he would make his Doctor – the 14th official Time Lord – different from his predecessors, 31-year-old Nkuit (pronounced Shuti) told reporters what he would bring: “I think myself, my black beautiful me.” . I bring my blackness.”
Doctor in the House: Ahead of his full Christmas debut as Doctor Who’s new leading star, Ncuti Gatwa, 31, has said he plans to bring his “beautiful blackness” to the iconic role.
No trousers, wearing Converse, in a TARDIS with a jukebox; Ncuti, whose name is pronounced “Shuti”, is the newest Doctor on the block.
The star is pictured with writer Russell T Davies (centre) and the Doctor’s new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) left.
Rwandan-Scottish Ncuti will become the first black actor to play the Doctor full-time after Joe Martin briefly played a version of the character in 2020.
A star’s rise to fame can be determined down to the moment; borrowed £10 from a friend to audition for the role of Eric Effiong in the Netflix series Sex Education.
Homeless and a couch surfer, the star, then in his mid-twenties, was still searching for the breakthrough role that had eluded him since drama school. He now has 2.8 million Instagram followers and the biggest acting job on British television.
Here, FEMAIL talks about how the actor has become a household name in the years since he starred in Sex Education…
EARLY YEARS: RWANDA’S FLIGHT
The Gatwa family fled Rwanda and settled in Dunfirmline, west of Glasgow in Scotland, when Ncuti (pictured) was still a child.
The 31-year-old was just a child when his family fled the Rwandan genocide and moved to Dunfermline.
In 1994, when Ncuti was still a child, his parents took him from Rwanda to escape the genocide when the family discovered that his father was “number one” on the death list due to crime.
His father Tharcisse Gatwa was an outspoken critic of President Juvenal Habyarimana, of the country’s Hutu tribe, who killed 800,000 people in 100 days.
Last year, the actor’s family and friends in Rwanda told the extraordinary story of how his parents packed up their belongings and left their bungalow in the capital Kigali with 18-month-old Ncuti to start a new life in Scotland after the family was murdered. reported that Tarsis faces certain death if he remains.
Leaving Rwanda: Ncuti’s mother Josephine, photographed with her son at the Newport Beach Film Festival at London’s Langham Hotel in 2020, was informed that her husband Tharcisse was a target on a Hutu death list and the family made the decision to flee.
Speaking from the Gatwa ancestral home in the remote village of Biguhu, family friend Pastor Sylvester Gatabazi told MailOnline last year: “Had Tarsiss not escaped, he and his family would have been killed on the first day of the genocide. Tarciss condemned Habyarimana’s government many times in his articles. He was an enemy of the regime.”
Gatabazi said when in the country the genocide began on April 7, 1994, the police had lists of people who needed to be killed.
“Gatwa was high on the list of criminals in the Kasiru area where he lived with his family.”
The Gatwa family fled, arriving in Scotland as refugees soon after and receiving asylum.
In Dunfermline, Ncuti was racially abused at school, but the star’s burgeoning talent was spotted by a teacher when he was 16, who encouraged him to go to drama school.
That drama school was the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, where Gatwa received a BA in Acting in 2013.
HOMELESS AND WORK AT HARRODS
In a January 2020 interview with The Big Issue, Gatwa revealed that he was homeless for five months before finally landing his breakthrough role.
The actor told how, after struggling to cope with financial stress in London, he was an aspiring actor with no fixed address and relied on friends to let him crash on their sofas.
In an interview with A big problemHe admitted that while working at luxury department store Harrods in the city, he sold £7,000 worth of fragrances during the day but had no bed to sleep on when he returned home at night.
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa (pictured) has revealed he was homeless for five months before landing the role of Eric Effiong in the Netflix series that catapulted him to overnight fame.
He also revealed that a friend had to lend him money to audition for the role, which earned him praise for his stunning performance as a gay black teenager.
“I couldn’t seem to cope with it all financially. I was supposed to move to a new place, but it fell through,” Ncuti said.
“So for five months before Sex Education, I was sitting on the couch with all my friends. I didn’t have a home.
“I was homeless. The only thing that stopped me from being on the street was that I had friends. ‘
He went on to describe how he was jealous of the customers at his temporary job as a salesman and just wanted to have “his own bed.”
“I looked at people and thought: “You are so lucky that you will soon go home to your bed.” Then I was going to work and sell perfume for £7,000.”
BIG BREAKTHROUGH: ERIC IN SEXUAL EDUCATION
Sex Education was a huge success with viewers, with more than 40 million viewers watching the first episode in 2019.
Ncuti played Eric Effiong in the Netflix show about socially awkward high school student Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his sex therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson).
Gatwa admitted that a friend had to lend him money so he could audition for his role. (Pictured: in a scene from the first episode of the Netflix series)
The role earned him praise for his portrayal of a gay black teenager. He is portrayed in the series alongside the character Otis, played by Asa Butterfield.
Style Doctor: Ncuti at the Barbie London premiere in July; he made his Hollywood debut as one of the many Kens in the film.
Written by Laurie Nunn, it turned many actors into overnight stars, a stark contrast to the poverty Gatwa experienced before landing the role.
His character, the gay assistant to series star Otis, played by Asa Butterfield, has become one of Sex Education’s most beloved cast members.
For this role he received a Scottish Bafta and a Rose d’Or.
Other roles on stage and screen followed, including the Golden Globe-nominated Barbie. Ncuti made his Hollywood debut as one of the many Kens in the film; The fashion-loving star wore a custom Valentino suit as he joined his co-stars at Cineworld Leicester Square for the July 2023 premiere.
WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSE
Gatwa will replace Jodie Whittaker as the 14th Doctor Who, although previous Doctor David Tennant starred in the interim anniversary specials (pictured: Gatwa and Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies at the 2022 British Academy Television Awards).
The Christmas special is likely to leave Doctor Who fans in awe as final duo Ncuti and co-star Millie Gibson head into the TARDIS.
Gatwa was confirmed as the latest Time Lord in May 2022, saying at the time that he was “deeply honored and incredibly excited” but also “a little scared” to join the Doctor Who franchise.
He told the BBC: “This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled this unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care.
“I will do my best to do the same.”
Meanwhile, writer Russell T Davies said Gatwa “stunned” at his audition, adding: “Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant that I just stand in awe and thank my lucky stars.”