Russell T Davies names Doctor Who star who will be the next James Bond

Russell T Davies is convinced the new James Bond will be an existing Time Lord
Russell T Davies is convinced the new James Bond will be an existing Time Lord -Credit:Getty


As sci-fi fans around the world excitedly countdown the final few hours until Doctor Who returns to our screens, all eyes will be on Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa as he becomes the fifteenth iteration of the world renowned Time Lord. Joined by new companion Millie Gibson in the role of Ruby Sunday, the dynamic duo will be exploring the universe - both time and space - while coming face to face with some of their most formidable foes yet.

But while Ncuti is new to the role, show runner Russell T Davies was so impressed by his performance he even revealed that he believes the star may be destined to join another global franchise in the coming years! In an interview to promote the new series, Russell opened up about what made him choose Gatwa for the role and where he thinks the star will end up.

He said: “I consider myself to be the luckiest man on earth that in the year that I came along to take over Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa was coming to the end of his time on Sex Education. I’m so lucky that happened. It just looks like it was meant to be.

After Ncuti Gatwa became the latest actor to take on Doctor Who, Russell T Davies tipped him to be the next James Bond!
After Ncuti Gatwa became the latest actor to take on Doctor Who, Russell T Davies tipped him to be the next James Bond! -Credit:BBC

Gushing over his performance, Russell continued: “When you see him in action as the Doctor, he's just astonishing. I had to have a few words with myself. I thought, ‘You have done a few Doctors now, can you do it again? Are you going to get excited? Are you going to get energised?’

“And then you look at Ncuti doing the role, and it's like a brand-new playing field. It's open vistas and new horizons ahead of you. It's so exciting that it inspires me. It generates stories in me. It's an absolute joy to work with him.”

In fact, Russell was so bowled away he even predicted that Ncuti could have a future with MI5 on the cards, as he added: “He's already one of our great actors. In Sex Education, you couldn't take your eyes off him. I literally swear, in five years’ time, you’ll have the next James Bond right here. I'll be being held back by security, saying “I know him!””

While some might say that’s high praise indeed from the creative genius behind other smash hit shows such as It’s A Sin, Queer As Folk and Torchwood - it appears the feeling is mutual as Ncuti himself also shared a glowing tribute to Russell in his pre-show interview.

Doctor Who
Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa will hit our screens in just a few hours time for the brand new series of Doctor Who -Credit:Lara Cornell/BBC Studios/Bad Wolf

“Russell's brain has managed to create a whole new level of monster that's really terrifying! In the first episode, for instance, the monster is so scary,” explained Ncuti.

“ When I heard about it, I thought, ‘Oh, that's a nice beginning-of-the-series monster to warn the audience about what’s to come. It’s on the same level of scariness as the Goblin King.’ But then I saw the actual costume and it is absolutely terrifying. I was so shocked! We certainly are on track to get a whole new generation of kids hiding behind the sofa!”

Teasing what fans can expect to see from the series this year, Ncuti didn’t give much away about the main storylines, but he did tell fans: “What I can say is that Russell is a master at creating a certain intricate world. And he's doing so already. So that's going to be really exciting for the fans to piece things together.”

The first two new episodes of Doctor Who will premiere at midnight on May 11 on BBC iPlayer, before airing on BBC One at 6:20pm.