"I am the Doctor. The Doctor is me."

As he embarks on a journey through time and space as the 15th Doctor in the legendary Doctor Who series, Ncuti Gatwa talks about identifying with one of TV's most-loved characters and how he plans to reinvent the iconic role

- By Alison Rumfitt. Photograph by William Arcand

Ncuti Gatwa

It's a very, very hot day, the first of the year. We’ve spent the whole afternoon in a studio north of King’s Cross, London, fanning ourselves and drinking water to stop us from overheating. This is Ncuti Gatwa’s big moment. While he’s been striking poses for his Rolling Stone UK cover shoot, I’ve been sitting in the corner watching and feeling a little voyeuristic. It’s always interesting to witness an artist interacting with the people working around them; it reveals so much. Gatwa is clearly excited to be here. He buzzes with energy when he chats to the photographer, to the glam team and, after the shoot has wrapped, to me. Top of the list of topics we’re here to talk about is Doctor Who — Gatwa was announced as the new incarnation of the iconic lead character last year. Although the show’s upcoming stories are a closely guarded secret, I was able to glean some interesting titbits from its new star.

“My Doctor is emotionally vulnerable. He hides it with humour, but he’s lonely,” says Gatwa of his forthcoming reinvention of the ever-changing Doctor. “I can’t say much more than that; I don’t want to spoil anything. But he’s also energetic! The poor cameramen struggled to keep up.”

To hear Gatwa tell the story of his casting, it almost sounds like he was granted a wish. One day he emailed his agent saying he wanted to play a role like Willy Wonka or the Doctor — and just a week later he was asked to audition for the part of the Time Lord. To prepare, Gatwa spent a week watching every