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Sex Education Director Calls Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who “Genius Casting”

Runyararo Mapfumo, director of Sex Education, has called Ncuti Gatwa’s appointment as the Fifteenth Doctor “genius casting” and enthused that he’s “perfect for that role”.

Mapfumo, who helmed four of the eight episodes in Sex Education Season 3, told the Radio Times:

“It’s just genius casting, isn’t it? It’s just so good, and he’s going to absolutely smash it. I’ve seen a few episodes of Doctor Who, I’ve got friends who are huge, huge fans of it and who are super excited – I will become a watcher of that show.

“I think he’s just got a charisma and a flair and a style that can only be done by him and is going to be perfect for that role. So I’m really excited to see what he does with that.”

And we can only agree!

Right now, Gatwa is probably best known for being in Sex Education, the popular Netflix show, but he’ll soon be one version of Ken in the upcoming Barbie movie and will, of course, make his debut as the Fifteenth Doctor sometime this year.

We don’t know whether we’ll see him in one of the 60th anniversary specials — said to air on BBC1 in November 2023 — but he did make a surprise appearance in the trailer at the conclusion of The Power of the Doctor, the Thirteenth Doctor’s swansong story, so the smart money is on Ncuti making at least a cameo in one of the three specials.

And then, we’ll probably meet the Fifteenth Doctor properly in the 2023 Christmas special!

Philip Bates

Editor and co-founder of the Doctor Who Companion. When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything. Writer of The Black Archive: The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang, The Silver Archive: The Stone Tape, and 100 Objects of Doctor Who.

Sex Education Director Calls Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who “Genius Casting”

by Philip Bates time to read: 1 min
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