Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa on return to the Tardis: 'I was pushed in ways I hadn't been before'

Ncuti Gatwa is preparing to unleash his second full series of Doctor Who on the world when he calls Big Issue. It’s the day of the UK premiere in London and he’s got a snazzy outfit by Dries Van Noten lined up for the red carpet.

He is, he says, more settled into his lead role in the longest running sci-fi series on the planet this time around. He’s been reading some books, doing some therapy, learning a lot about himself.

“This is a happy moment,” Gatwa decides. “It feels exciting to be back.”

• Ncuti Gatwa on ‘feeling seen’ by Doctor Who, being a Ken and why his Time Lord is ‘very human’
• ‘I’m very privileged’: Nicola Coughlan on Doctor Who and mixing politics and pop culture
• From Queer as Folk to Doctor Who: How Russell T Davies gave voice to a generation of queer people

But if the present is bright for the actor, the future of the series remains under a cloud. The deal between the BBC and Disney that has enabled the show, with Russell T Davies at the helm, to be bigger and bolder during Gatwa’s time in the Tardis has yet to be renewed.

Davies himself suggested “there might be a pause” on CBBC’s Newsround. Because although it is standard practice in TV not to renew big shows ahead of the previous series airing, the time it takes to make a CGI-heavy show like Doctor Who and dub it to air in more than 150 countries around the world on Disney+ means that one of the most talked about shows in the universe will almost inevitably go on some sort of hiatus after this series. Christmas 2026 could be the earliest it could return.

The good news is the series is back on top form. And although it was filmed more than a year ago, the return of Doctor Who could not be more perfectly timed – tackling some of the biggest issues of the moment.

“Doctor Who works so well and has done for so many years because it is reflective of the problems we face in our time and potentially in our future,” says Gatwa.

“That’s part of what attracted me to the show in the first place. Russell is very politically and socially aware and has always infused the scripts with that. It is the nature of the show to be a soundboard to life around us.

“Alongside the entertainment, we are tackling the big talking points in society. This show is a beacon of learning and exploration. I’m really happy and proud to be part of a show that talks about these big issues. And it is done with such compassion to all parties.”

The new series, coming hot on the heels of the triumphant Christmas special, Joy to the World, sees Gatwa bringing new depth to the role. If his first series was an extended introduction, this one truly establishes his Doctor.

The arrival of Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra in barnstorming series opener The Robot Revolution really pushes him. She questions the Doctor, probes his methods and ethics, makes him look again at the way he moves through the world and universe.

“I was pushed in ways I hadn’t been before,” says Gatwa.

“Belinda Chandra comes along and pushes him to look introspectively. Normally the Doctor flies off into space with their companion solving the madness of the universe. This time they are both trying to get back to Earth but they are not in control.

“They have to surrender themselves to the situation and each other. And the Doctor is humbled. He doesn’t have any answers and he’s travelling with someone who doesn’t want to be travelling with him. I think he grows through that.”

The themes and tone appear to target a slightly older audience this time around.

“Each episode has an issue that is discussed either directly in the episode or conversationally as part of life,” continues Gatwa. “There’s always something for us to go away and discuss. In episode two, they land in 1950s Miami, which is an interesting place for this Black Doctor to be. It’s still a segregated time in the US.

“And Russell imbues all the scripts with compassion for all sides. It’s what we see narratively as well. Each monster the Doctor faces there’s always some vulnerability that he can try to connect or relate to. He always seems to understand the bad guy.”

The guest stars this time around are impressive again.

“I acted with Rylan Clark. I never thought I would ever do that!” says Gatwa, clearly as surprised as the rest of us were to see Rylan on the cast list of Doctor Who. Yet he is perfectly cast – alongside Graham Norton – in The Interstellar Song Contest, a riotous romp set to air between the FA Cup Final and Eurovision on a big night for BBC One.

“Rylan was really good as well. If he decides to do more acting, I can see it panning out well for him. I was so impressed and he brought an amazing energy to the set. We all felt a bit of a hole in our hearts after he left.

“Alan Cumming was also amazing. I didn’t work with him in person – I was acting opposite a three-foot cardboard cutout – but we worked with his voice, which is terrifying and brought Mr Ring-a-Ding to life.

“I learnt some BSL to work with Rose Ayling-Ellis. What an incredible actor and human being. I was blown away by the level of awareness to lip read while speaking in English and signing too. She was translating what she was saying into BSL, because it is different grammatically and has different syntax. She has to be so aware and awake and connected.”

Since filming finished, Gatwa has completed work on The Roses opposite Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. He will also star as Christopher Marlowe in Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth on the West End this summer, after first returning to the stage in The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre. He emerged from that experience, he says, feeling revived.

“It was so invigorating,” he says. “I was really craving doing theatre. I had been for a couple of years. It was so nice to have to work in that process again – five weeks of rehearsal, spending time with the script and the director and crafting the play.

“By the time we got to tech, my script looked like dog food. You couldn’t see a single line – it had all been scribbled over! It was just so much fun to do, pure silliness, every single night. Oh my god, I miss it a lot.”

Gatwa has spent enough time acting alongside the best actors in the business to have learnt a thing or two about leading the company. And he’s stolen something from them all, he says.

“I came on to Doctor Who after working on Barbie and getting to see just how incredible Margot Robbie is, and how she takes the huge responsibility in her stride. So something I took from Margot onto Doctor Who was to get the crew good food vans. Once a month, bring in a pizza van or an ice cream van. Feed everyone! That’s the lesson I learned from Margot. Olivia Colman was absolutely incredible. Such a lack of ego and self-importance.

“And I spent four years with Asa Butterfield. What an absolute legend. What an angel. The coolest, chillest, loveliest dude ever. He’d been on set since he was in nappies, so it all felt so natural to him.”

The third series, traditionally, is where Doctors set about creating their legacy or exploring their dark side before moving on. But with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Disney’s involvement, all talk of the future is off the table for now.

Gatwa is not one for making grand plans anyway, he says. But the actor does admit he is changed by the fame and attention that comes with playing such an iconic figure in popular culture.

“I moved house for more privacy,” Gatwa says, eyes wide as if he can barely believe it himself.

“I had to. My god, I was like, everyone knows where I live. Bloody hell – the level of surveillance was something I was not prepared for.

“It got a bit crazy. So I had to move house and I live on a very quiet street now, which is lovely. So I guess the change is being from an extrovert to an introvert. I like a cup of tea and sitting in my house now.”

Read the full exclusive interview with Ncuti Gatwa in the Big Issue magazine soon.
DOCTOR WHO is on BBC One and iPlayer from Saturday 12 April.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.