New Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa on keeping the secret since February

Screen OD staff

Incoming Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, who was announced today by the BBC as the person to be replacing Jodie Whittaker in the TARDIS, has spoken about being able to “finally breathe” now the news is out as he has been keeping his new role secret since February.

Speaking on the red carpet at the BAFTA TV Awards in London, where he is nominated for Best Male Performance in a Comedy for his portrayal of Eric Effiong in Netflix smash hit Sex Education (pictured above), Gatwa told PA “I feel really happy that I can now talk about it, because I got cast in February.

“I’ve been keeping it a secret since then, so it’s nice to finally breathe.”

The 29 year old, who was born in Rwanda and brought up in Scotland, added: “But also really nervous. It’s an incredibly iconic role, and an incredibly iconic show – and I just hope I do it justice. I’m following some very, very big footsteps – so I’m just hoping that I fill them up.”

Gatwa will take over from Jodie Whittaker after her final episode is aired sometime in the autumn to coincide with the centenary celebrations of the BBC. It will also be the final episode that Chris Chibnall is showrunner of the programme before Russell T Davies makes his sensational return to the show almost two decades after rebooting Doctor Who.

Davies was also on the BAFTA red carpet and said Gatwa was “Stunning” and “blew everyone away” in his audition.

He added: “I think when you cast the Doctor, you cast for the potential. I can see him for years exploring the part and taking it somewhere new.”