Long-running, smash-hit British science-fiction television series Doctor Who tells the story of an alien who is able to change their appearance every few years, giving the show an excuse to replace its lead actor every three seasons or so.
A lot has been said about the fact that, even though the character could technically look like anyone, they ended up being played by cishet white men for the first 12 incarnations. Jodie Whittaker smashed the TARDIS’ glass ceiling with her underrated portrayal as the 13th Doctor, ending her run last year. Ncuti Gatwa, already announced to be the 15th Doctor, was all set to make history as the first Black actor to play the role. Now he takes on another milestone as well, as he becomes the first openly queer actor to play the iconic role.
Aside from Doctor Who, Gatwa is most well-known for his role as Eric Effiong in the British teen dramedy Sex Education. The character he plays on that show is queer, which has led many to speculate that the actor was queer as well, but Gatwa had not said anything explicit on the subject. In fact, one could say that he still hasn’t, as Gatwa didn’t actually make a big coming out statement, but simply mentioned it in passing in a recent interview with Elle. In the interview, Gatwa tells the story of going to Manchester Pride and meeting a woman from Rwanda, the country where Gatwa was born. In relating the story, Gatwa identifies himself as queer, saying: “I had never met another queer Rwandan person before… I thought I was the only one in the world.”
While Doctor Who has never had an openly queer actor in its titular role, the series is known for being queer friendly, especially since it returned in 2005. Russell T. Davies—who is openly gay and the creator Queer as Folk and It’s a Sin—was the champion of the show’s return in 2005 after its cancellation in 1989 (and failed revival in 1996) and served as the rebooted series’ first showrunner.
Under Davies’ original tenure as showrunner, LGBTQ characters were frequently introduced both as major characters like Captain Jack Harkness and as minor characters who would pop up in passing references in the series. After Davies left the series in 2010, his successors, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall, carried on the tradition of introducing LGBTQ themes and characters into what is, officially, a children’s show. Davies returns as showrunner this year, beginning with a series of specials, and will be the showrunner of Gatwa’s first season.
Gatwa has not divulged further how he identifies beyond the word “queer,” a term which can be used to refer to a number of identities within the LGBTQ community. Of course, every queer person, whether they are famous or not, has the right to come out on their own time table, and Gatwa is welcome to go into further detail about his identity if and when he so chooses.
Recently, there have been a number of situations where celebrities were pressured to come out before they were ready, or where actors who play queer characters were badgered by fans until they finally came out. Hopefully Doctor Who fandom proves to be better than that and fans can simply celebrate this important milestone for the show instead of using it as an excuse to pressure someone to share more than they’re ready to share.
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