Father of New 'Doctor Who' Star, Ncuti Gatwa, Overjoyed Over Son's Casting

The newest "Doctor Who" lead star, Ncuti Gatwa, has made history as the first Black actor to land the iconic role and no one is prouder of his achievement than his father, Tharcisse Gatwa.

Speaking exclusively with Daily Mail, Tharcisse, who is based in Scotland and works as a journalist, said that he and his wife, Josephine Gatwa, are very proud of their son. The father also said that he has spoken to Ncuti after clinching the role but he cannot say anything else because they have to respect his profession. As fans of the series are aware, details of the latest "Doctor Who" seasons are a widely-kept secret. 

"We do not do any comments regarding this but we are, of course, very proud of him," Tharcisse said, "As parents, we are, of course, proud of Ncuti, of our children."

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Ncuti Gatwa's Family Background

Ncuti's journey to stardom, landing the role of a lifetime in "Doctor Who," starts with his life as a toddler in Scotland. Originally from Rwanda, Ncuti was likely too young to remember how he and his parents escaped the war to find a better life in the U.K.

Mom Josephine was with her three children first when they settled in Scotland in 1994. She recalled that they were still traumatized from hearing banging sounds in their neighborhood, thinking these were guns going off.

As a young Black boy in Scotland, Ncuti and his siblings were victims of racist abuse from kids in school. His experiences as a schoolboy, however, didn't stop him from going after his dreams as an actor, according to The Sun.

After high school, Ncuti pursued acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and earned a degree in 2013. By the time he was 21 years old, he bid his family goodbye and moved to London to land acting jobs.

Five months after arriving in London, Ncuti landed the role of Eric Effiong in Netflix's "Sex Education," where his character became a fan favorite. Three years since the premiere of the series, Ncuti earned the Best Actor Award at the Scottish BAFTA. This paved the way for the Black actor to land the "Doctor Who" job.

First Black Timelord, Fourth Scottish Doctor

While he is the first Black timelord, he is also the fourth actor from Scotland to be named the Doctor. However, Ncuti told BBC that he was always hesitant to claim that he is Scottish because he feared people will not believe his background.

However, the Scottish community, especially the creatives, are also proud of Ncuti's latest role because he can be an inspiration for young Black Scottish lads. His fans from "Sex Education" will also be invested in watching the new seasons of the sci-fi series, which means the show will be tapping into a new and wider audience.

The next seasons of "Doctor Who" with Ncuti in the lead will be returning showrunner, Russell T. Davies, at the helm.

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