Ncuti Gatwa had to hire protection after Doctor Who announcement, co-star claims

Ncuti Gatwa had to hire protection after announcing that he is the new star of Doctor Whofellow actor Simu Liu has claimed.

Gatwa, 29, was announced as the successor to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor earlier this month – news that set social media on fire as soon as it broke.

The actor who rose to fame on the Netflix show sex educationwill be the 14th actor and the first black person to play the Doctor in the popular, long-running science fiction franchise.

Speaking at an event on his book tour for his new memoir we were dreamers Liu – who is playing with Barbie with Gatwa – said the actor kept his casting a secret for weeks.

“[He] didn’t tell anyone anything,” Liu said (via diversity). “And then it was suddenly announced over the weekend. When we got to work on Monday we were like, ‘Dude, how long have you been holding this?’ And he says, “Two months. I would have been burned.”

Liu added, “He had to ensure security not only in his place of residence, but also in the places of residence of his entire family.”

Doctor Who is such a hugely popular show that it transforms the lives of the stars who play the Time Lord. David Tennant, who played the role from 2005 to 2010, previously likened the intense experience to Doctor Who celebrity for “losing a layer of skin”.

He also talked about how to film Doctor Who “wasn’t a normal job”.

Tennant said: “When we were on site, we were surrounded by crowds. Everywhere we went, people buzzed around. We were crammed in and out of cars and taken to places through the back door and chased by photographers.”

Read the jubilant reactions to Gatwa’s casting and a synopsis of his life and career ahead of time here Doctor Who here.