Hot 100 No.1: Ncuti Gatwa

Taking the top spot in this year’s Hot 100 is award-winning actor Ncuti Gatwa, known for playing Eric in Sex Education and being Jodie Whittaker’s successor in Doctor Who. He spoke to Megan Merino about a childhood in Edinburgh, becoming the new Time Lord and his obsession with Greta Gerwig

You may know him as the gregarious Eric Effiong in Netflix’s Sex Education or perhaps as the next incarnation of the legendary Time Lord, but Ncuti Gatwa is also a proud Scot, with his performing roots deeply embedded in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife.

‘My dad was studying at Edinburgh University so I grew up in Black Avenue, which was like accommodation for international families because we had just come from Rwanda.’ But it was a move to Fife at the age of 14 that started Gatwa’s love affair with performing. ‘My drama teacher at Dunfermline High School was like, you really need to consider going to the Royal Conservatoire. And she gave me David Tennant’s Hamlet and said “watch this. This is an actor.” I was like “oh my god”.’ What, then, could be more full circle than him stepping into his shoes as the next Doctor Who?

In September, the BBC broke the news that Gatwa would be taking on this iconic role, making him the first ever Black actor (and fourth Scot) to do so in the show’s 59-year history. ‘I’ve known since about February so it's been tricky keeping this under wraps: I have a very big mouth!’ he said on the red carpet following the announcement. ‘But it's a true honour. This role is an institution. It means a lot to so many people, including myself. It makes everyone feel seen as well.’

Reflecting on the casting process, Gatwa recalls ‘prepping for the role of the Doctor and watching all the episodes again and watching Russell T Davies and David [Tennant]’s work. I was overcome with the need to get the job! I was like “I want to work with Russell". His writing is so clever. I just feel very honoured that he saw something in me that he likes. He’s going to take me to the universe, around all the stars and galaxies.’

Gatwa may be over the moon now, but the road to get here was rough. While relentlessly attending auditions in London, Gatwa found himself homeless for several months before one booking would change his life forever. ‘It was turbulent, you know? But I feel so grateful that Sex Education came into my life.’ A month after its release in 2019, the first season had been streamed over 40 million times, shooting its stars to international fame overnight. ‘In this streaming age, a show drops across 150 countries in a second so it took a long time to figure out what the hell was going on in my life. I’d be in Tesco and someone would ask for a selfie and I’d have no idea why!’

Three seasons in, he still has a lot of love for Sex Education and Eric, a character he’s lifted with side-splitting one-liners such as ‘you detty pig’. But how does he find returning to Moordale High? ‘Playing a teenager, especially as a 30-year-old man, is getting trickier as the days go on, let me tell you,’ he cackles. ‘But it’s lovely to return to that cast. They are like my children.’

Among these co-stars is Emma Mackey who will appear alongside Gatwa in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie. ‘I remember the casting director telling me “Greta’s seen your tape and she really likes it”. Well, that wasn’t good enough’, he deadpans. ‘No stone must be left unturned! So I did about ten other takes and was like “SEND THEM ALL TO GRETA!” His tenacity paid off and he now describes Gerwig as ‘a creative kindred spirit’.

As Gatwa finds himself on the brink of A-list stardom, his strong grasp of what’s important shows grace and conviction. ‘It’s just about learning to be really grateful,’ he insists. ‘And also to take the work seriously but not yourself seriously. It’s an amazing job that we get to do but it is just a job. I’m slowly learning how to take it in my stride.’