Ncuti Gatwa will have a pivotal role in The Big Ballet, the Royal Ballet and Opera’s new free national dance event for UK primary schools. The event will aim to break record for the world’s largest dance class taking place across multiple venues, reaching 70,000 pupils in total.

Gatwa, who played the Fifteenth Doctor from 2023-25, will play The Narrator in a specially adapted version of Will Tuckett’s The Wind in the Willows ballet, joined by dancers from The Royal Ballet. The event celebrates the 25th anniversary year of the original ballet adaptation of the classic book.

The Big Ballet will be a free annual event livestreamed from the Royal Opera House, bringing together children aged seven to eleven from across the UK to celebrate storytelling through dance. The first event, on 25 February 2027, will explore Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows and aims to break the record for the world’s largest dance class taking place across multiple venues, currently held at 26,797 participants. The Royal Ballet and Opera intend to break the record during one of two sessions taking place on the day. Together, the sessions aim to reach 70,000 pupils. Through the livestream, children will see classrooms across the country taking part in real time, creating a shared national experience.

Ncuti Gatwa, who showed his dance credentials in The Church on Ruby Road and The Devil’s Chord during his time on Doctor Who, said:

“I still remember my first ballet class at primary school. I felt like I’d found my thing, my tribe, so it’s really exciting to be part of an event that will be introducing children to dance for the first time. Every child deserves the chance to express themselves through dance, and I hope The Big Ballet inspires children across the country to be creative and discover that dance is for everyone.”

More details, including how schools can sign up to take part, can be found at Royal Ballet and Opera Schools.