Ncuti Gatwa ‘didn’t realize the scale’ of Doctor Who when he took on the role – The Irish News

Ncuti Gatwa has reflected on his first year playing Doctor Who and said he didn’t “really realize the scale” of what he was undertaking.

The 32-year-old actor, also known for playing Eric in the hit Netflix series Sex Education, first appeared on the show during the final installment of the 60th anniversary specials in December 2023 when David Tennant’s 14th Doctor bi-generated and divided into two.

Speaking at a screening of this year’s Christmas special, Gatwa said: “I had always said, before I really started, that I didn’t really realize the scale of what I was going to take on.

“And I certainly felt it from the moment I arrived, but it’s also a great joy.”

“It pushed me as an actor and as an artist,” he added.

“It’s just a lot of fun. I can do a lot of fun things. I’m still in a harness.

“Once a week I feel like I’m flying from the ceiling. Getting into this institution was a real roller coaster.

His first series as Time Lord aired on the BBC from May and included cameos from Bridgerton’s Golda Rosheuvel and Glee actor Jonathan Groff, with former Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson in the role of his partner Ruby Sunday.

In the upcoming festive special, Joy To The World, directed by Alex Pillai, Gatwa stars alongside Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan.

The actors both appeared in the 2023 Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie film.

“We were Barbie and Ken, but we never worked together on this film,” Gatwa said.

“But I’ve always been a big fan of Nicola’s work, and she worked a lot with Alex (Pillai) on Bridgerton, so there was that connection.

“But what talent and what joy. It’s hard not to make that pun when talking about Nicola because she is so full of light and she was so ready for anything.

Speaking about the “pinch-up moments” he’s experienced since filming the series, he said: “Riding around New York on a subway that was like wrapped in Doctor Who history, and my face was wild.

“Every time I go to the States and hear that there are Doctor Who fans there, I’m always blown away by the global reach of the show and its reach.

“San Diego Comic Con was also another moment that pinched me, just because the scope of the show is so huge that I didn’t expect to be approached there.”

In this year’s Christmas episode, which promises “Danger, Dinosaurs and the Doctor,” Coughlan plays Joy who opens a secret door to the Time Hotel.

Joy To The World will air on BBC One at 5.10pm on Christmas Day and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

On Christmas Eve, Catherine Tate will present the Doctor Who Prom, for BBC One Wales, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, featuring soundtracks from the series at the Royal Albert Hall in London.