's 2005 relaunch, is returning to take the show in a whole new direction.
The BBC has announced Ncuti Gatwa will play the Fourteenth Doctor. The 29-year-old will be one of the youngest actors to star in the show; Matt Smith was just 26 when he was cast, while Gatwa is the same age as Fifth Doctor Peter Davison when he began his run. But Gatwa is already accomplished; the announcement was made on the day of the Baftas, with Gatwa nominated for the third year running and actually presenting an award. It allowed for delightful interviews in which he stood beside Russell T. Davies - also nominated for his show It's A Sin - and fielded excited questions from journalists, giving Doctor Who a much-needed boost.
Gatwa's award-winning role in Sex Education, where he plays a gay teenager named Eric Effiong, proves he's just the kind of star Doctor Who needs. There, he plays a dynamic and enthusiastic character whose energy allows him to dominate any scene he's in. It's no surprise Davies' initial statement explaining the casting suggests Gatwa's energy was what won him over. "Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds," he observed. "It’s an honour to work with him, and a hoot, I can’t wait to get started." Amusingly, there is actually something quite Doctor-like about Eric; he has the same kind of racing, scattershot mind coupled with a lack of social awareness that means he blurts out whatever's going through his head at a given moment. Hopefully, Gatwa will import some of those character traits into his portrayal of the Doctor.
The casting of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor - and, indeed, the circumstances surrounding it - should best be seen as a statement of intent by Davies. Recent seasons of Doctor Who have been relatively highbrow, with a focus on continuity designed to appeal to long-term fans; marketing has appeared to be largely focused on retaining existing viewers. But Gatwa's hugely successful Sex Education is a major part of the streaming giant's pitch to draw in Generation Z viewers, alongside other hits like You. Instagram is the most popular social media network for Generation Z, where Gatwa has 2.6 million followers. This was even incorporated into the announcement itself, because Gatwa teased the casting on Instagram just an hour before it became official. The BBC's Twitter interacted with social media influencers to boost the message; when one joked they would have to "watch that blue phone box show now," the official Twitter was speedily updated. It now reads that it is "The official home of 'that blue phone box show' on Twitter."
Russell T. Davies has a vision for Doctor Who's future, and the casting of Ncuzi Gatwa makes clear that it is one in which the show doesn't just focus on the hardcore fans anymore. He wants Doctor Who to be as dazzling as Gatwa himself, bold and confident, drawing in a new generation of viewers with its style and energy. He pulled it off in 2005 when he relaunched Doctor Who the first time, and this Sex Education-centric casting decision suggests he's about to do it again.