Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa reacts to racist hate: 'You see people malfunctioning because things are changing'

Ncuti Gatwa has described outcry from a small-minded minority over his casting as the first black Doctor Who as “kind of fascinating”.

The Rwandan-Scottish actor, 31, initially came to public attention playing Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education, before cementing his rising star status by appearing in the Barbie movie, which was the biggest film of last summer.

Landing the coveted role of the fifteenth incarnation of the Time Lord in the cult sci-fi series Doctor Who last year was the cherry on the cake for him, and he’s too busy enjoying the moment to let any hate affect him.

Appearing on the front cover of Attitude’s May/June issue, which is out now and celebrates 30 years of the publication, Gatwa said of those who have a problem with him taking up residency in the Tardis: “It’s not something I’ll avidly keep up on.

“The hate? It is kind of fascinating to me because there’s so much energy they’re putting into it… I think they need to go find a hobby is one thing. But another thing is that we do see a shift happening in casting, in positions of power and in the status quo.

“I mean, not a fast shift, things could tip over the other way a little bit quicker, but you see people kind of malfunctioning because things are changing.”

The very first episode of Doctor Who aired in 1963, almost three decades before he was even born.

The actor went on to say that he feels the character is needed more today than ever, as he reflected on how the show manages to stay relevant after all these years.

“The Doctor is constantly fighting for every life, even his villains,” he told the publication.

“He shows mercy and compassion to all because he understands that there’s a need for everything, and that we need each other. It’s really nice to have a show like Doctor Who running after all these years in this era that we are in now.”

The Attitude May/June issue is out now.