‘Doctor Who’ casts Ncuti Gatwa as first black Time Lord

Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa has been cast as the 14th Time Lord on BBC’s hit show Doctor Who, the BBC announced on Sunday.

Gatwa will replace actress Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor after she announced last July that she will be leaving the role.

29-year-old Gatwa, a Scottish actor born in Rwanda, rose to popularity as Eric Effiong in Netflix’s mega-hit Sex Education alongside Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson.

The BBC also announced that the next Doctor Who series will be run by Russel T Davies, after he previously helmed the show from 2005 to 2009.

Talking about his casting, Gatwa said: “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared.”

“This role and show mean 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,” he added.