The next Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, has been awarded an honourary doctorate by his former drama school, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS).
Yes, the Doctor is a doctor!
Though born in Rwanda, Gatwa was raised in Edinburgh and went to the RCS in Glasgow, being awarded a BA in acting in 2013 — and 10 years later, he’ll be the lead actor in Doctor Who. Yep, we’d call that acting success.
At the ceremony on Thursday 7th July, he told graduates:
“It is such an honour to be back here to receive this doctorate and to be with you all on your very special day.
“I am humbly inspired and in awe of the strength, talent, perseverance, and dedication to your craft that each of you clearly possess.
“These qualities will serve you so well in life. What today signifies is that you are artists. Period.”
When asked what advise he’d give to those leaving university, he replied:
“All I’ve learned in life thus far, is that you have to roll with the punches and figure it out as you go along.”
Outlander‘s Sam Heughan was similarly awarded an honorary doctorate by the RCS.
Ncuti joins a host of Doctor Who cast and crew awarded doctorates, including former showrunner, Chris Chibnall, the Sixth Doctor actor, Colin Baker, and Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker.
Gatwa will stars as the Doctor in an upcoming series helmed by Russell T Davies, and is expected to make his debut sometime in 2023.
So congratulations to Gatwa, to Heughan, and to the more than 300 students who also graduated on 7th July, in disciplines like drama, dance, and production!
