Ncuti Gatwa has reflected on his feelings after getting cast as the Fifteenth Doctor — and while you’re expected to keep such a thing secret, he wasn’t entirely successful in that pursuit…

As he didn’t think he’d get the lead part in Doctor Who, he says he just had fun at his audition, so when he found out he’d bagged the role, Gatwa was shocked. He said:

“I felt numb. And keeping it a secret until the announcement was very difficult. I’d often get a little tipsy in Soho House, make a new best friend in the bathroom, tell them, and run off. Thankfully, it never got out.”

How would you feel if a stranger came up to you in the toilets and said “I’m the next Doctor in Doctor Who“? You’d probably not believe them, to be fair — unless they were a famous face who you immediately recognised. And while Ncuti hit the big time in the world of theatre, even starring in his favourite play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and he was popular in Sex Education, he remained a lesser-known actor, on a par with Matt Smith before he was cast as the Eleventh Doctor… so we can see people ignoring Gatwa’s confession.

Nonetheless, from now on, he’s an internationally-recognised face, so maybe keep schtum about secrets in the upcoming seasons of Doctor Who, Ncuti…

Saying that, comparatively few details have leaked about Series 14, apart from details controlled by the production team; for instance, that Bonnie Langford is returning as Mel Bush in the finale. So we reckon Gatwa’s better at keeping secrets than he’s letting on right now.