Ncuti Gatwa

Ncuti Gatwa is a Rwandan-born actor raised in Scotland, best known for playing Eric Effiong in Netflix's Sex Education and the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. His television performances have received acting awards from BAFTA Scotland and BAFTA Cymru.

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About Ncuti Gatwa

Profile information current to 2026-08-23.

Rwanda; Scotland, United Kingdom · Actor · 1 affiliation

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Known for: Television acting; Sex Education; Doctor Who
Country: Rwanda; Scotland, United Kingdom

Actor

At a glance

Gatwa played Eric Effiong across Netflix's Sex Education, including its fourth and final season.
He portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who and concluded his lead tenure after two seasons in 2025.
His work earned BAFTA Scotland's Actor – Television award for Sex Education and the 2024 BAFTA Cymru Actor award for Doctor Who.
He graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's BA Acting programme in 2013.

Rwandan and Scottish background

Gatwa was born in Rwanda and grew up in Edinburgh and Dunfermline, Scotland. His family moved from Rwanda to Edinburgh in 1995, when he was two years old; British GQ reported that they arrived as refugees. In a 2020 interview, Gatwa described himself as Scottish and Rwandan.

Training and Sex Education

After graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's BA Acting programme in 2013, Gatwa became widely known for playing Eric Effiong in Netflix's Sex Education. The series was released in 2019, and its fourth and final season arrived in September 2023. Gatwa received BAFTA Scotland's Actor – Television award for his work on the programme in 2020.

Doctor Who

Doctor Who announced Gatwa as its incoming Doctor in May 2022, and he portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor. He received the 2024 BAFTA Cymru Actor award for the role. His lead tenure ended after two seasons when the finale featuring his character's regeneration aired on May 31, 2025; that ending does not rule out a future appearance in another capacity.

Affiliations

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland BA Acting graduate 2013

Timeline

1995 Gatwa's family moved from Rwanda to Edinburgh; British GQ reported that they arrived as refugees.
2013 Graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's BA Acting programme.
2019 Sex Education was released, with Gatwa appearing as Eric Effiong.
2020 Won BAFTA Scotland's Actor – Television award for Sex Education.
2022-05-08 Doctor Who announced Gatwa as the incoming Doctor.
2023-09-21 The fourth and final season of Sex Education was released, continuing Gatwa's role as Eric Effiong.
2024-10-20 Received the BAFTA Cymru Actor award for Doctor Who.

Additional verified details

Current context

Gatwa exited the Doctor Who lead role after two seasons; the season finale in which his character regenerated aired on May 31, 2025. This records the end of his then-current lead tenure and does not rule out a future return to the franchise in another capacity.

Biographical facts

Gatwa was born in Rwanda and grew up in Edinburgh and Dunfermline, Scotland.
His family moved from Rwanda to Edinburgh in 1995, when he was two years old; British GQ reported that they arrived as refugees.
In a 2020 interview, Gatwa described himself as Scottish and Rwandan.
Gatwa graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's BA Acting programme in 2013.
Gatwa played Eric Effiong in Netflix's Sex Education.
Gatwa portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.