Ncuti Gatwa says he knows ‘many a gay man who is exactly like Doctor Who’

26 December 2023

Ncuti Gatwa knows “many a gay man who is exactly like the Doctor’.

Ncuti Gatwa revealed he knows 'many a gay man who is exactly like the Doctor'

The 31-year-old actor will take over from David Tennant as the Time Lord in the next instalment of the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary special, ‘The Church on Ruby Road’, and has explained that the hero’s identity as a “lonely wanderer” is exactly the same as a gay man’s.

During an interview with The Guardian newspaper, he said: “We choose our families. And the Doctor is a lonely wanderer, looking for their next adventure … I know many a gay man, many a gay man, I could describe that way!

“I think that’s a beautiful, beautiful theme Doctor Who has, because chosen family can be more meaningful, more supportive. That really can be the case, and it’s a theme that absolutely runs through the show.

“It’s part of the reason Doctor Who has such a huge connection to LGBT people.”

The ‘Sex Education’ star also emphasised that the Time Lord, who will appear on screens on Christmas Day, likely has a “funny relationship” with the festive season due to his “loneliness”.

He said: “He probably has quite a funny relationship with Christmas.

“It isn’t joyous for everyone, and the Doctor is … quite lonely. I think the Doctor has a loneliness, a sorrow, a sadness that they try to fill with chaos and mischief. So I think they have quite a love/hate relationship with it.”

Ncuti will be joined by his new accomplice, Ruby (Millie Gibson) in the Christmas episode, who has promised that it will not disappoint fans.

Speaking with Yahoo News UK, she said: “It’s a very feel-good episode and it stands true to Doctor Who. That's all I’ll say!”

The 20-year-old actress also joked that fans are shocked at how young she is, after she admitted that Matt Smith, who played the Time Lord from 2010 to 2014 was who she watched as a child.

She said: “Whovians cry at the fact that Matt Smith was my Doctor, because it makes them feel really old, but Matt Smith was my go-to.

“I was alive for David Tennant’s era, I will say that, everyone don’t panic! But, yeah, Matt Smith and Amy Pond [are] the people I think about, when I think about Doctor Who."