Nine fascinating facts about Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa you probably didn’t know
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has become a household name now that he’s stepped into the TARDIS full time, but there are some facts that fans may not know about him.
Gatwa first appeared on screens in the long-running BBC sci-fi series as the fifteenth (if you count David Tennant twice) Doctor in last year’s anniversary special “The Giggle”, before his first full episode aired on Christmas Day.
The first Black and queer actor to play the Doctor on the main series, Gatwa revealed that race will be “addressed” in a “really interesting way” in upcoming episodes.
The actor has used his platform to speak in support of the LGBTQ+ community and has previously accused the UK government of using trans people as a scapegoat for its “own ineptitude”.
But despite living much of his life in the public eye, there are some things about Gatwa that aren’t as well-known. Here are some facts about the star.
Ncuti Gatwa’s real first name means ‘hope’
For starters, his full name is Mizero Ncuti Gatwa. “Mizero” means hope, and the star told the Big Issue that “hope is what saves us”.
Ncuti Gatwa was raised in Rwanda
Another fact some may not know is that before landing his role in Sex Education, Gatwa was homeless and spent five months sofa-surfing. He was raised in Kigali, Rwanda, but his family fled to Scotland to escape the Rwandan genocide.
He’s very into astrology
Gatwa was raised a Christian but has said he “fell out of love” with the religion. To “fill the gap”, he turned to astrology. Being born in October makes him a Libra.
Ncuti Gatwa once worked as a go-go dancer at an LGBTQ+ club
A man of many talents, Gatwa previously worked as a go-go dancer at an LGBTQ+ club, received an honorary doctorate from his acting school in Scotland, and while prepping for his Doctor Who audition, binged the entire 2005 reboot series.
He was once attacked in the street
In his twenties, Gatwa, who publicly came out as queer in 2023, was attacked by three men while walking home from a nightclub. They fractured his jaw; this was fixed with titanium.
He has a Rwandan proverb on his sonic screwdriver
In Doctor Who, the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver is inscribed with a Rwandan proverb which is translated into Gallifreyan symbols.
He was in the Barbie movie
Gatwa was one of the many Kens in the Barbie movie, and in interviews about his experiences on the movie he joked that he “drowned in Ryan Gosling’s eyes” during filming.
He appears on Jade’s new single
Former Little Mix member Jade recently dropped her new single “Midnight Cowboy” following the success of her debut solo single “Angel Of My Dreams.” And none other than Ncuti Gatwa appears on the track.
Ncuti Gatwa opens the track by saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, theys and thems / Hold on tight, the performance is about to begin (Hahahahaha).” Amazing.
He’s not in a relationship
Gatwa has kept his cards very close to his chest when it comes to discussing his love life, however as of September 2024, it’s believed that he’s single and focusing on his career. Fair enough!
Ncuti Gatwa will be appearing on The Graham Norton Show on 27 September 2024. You can watch it on BBC One at 10.40pm. He’ll be joined on the sofa by Emilia Perez stars Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana.
