Ncuti Gatwa preparing for third series of Doctor Who

Ncuti Gatwa is returning to film a third series of 'Doctor Who' next year and it's all going "well".

The 31-year-old actor took over the lead role in the BBC sci-fi series last year replacing Jodie Whittaker and he's revealed season two and the Christmas special are finished and ready to go - and he'll be back for more in 2025.

During an appearance on 'The Graham Norton Show', Ncuti said: "It is all going well. We did the second series this year, the Christmas special is coming up, and we are filming a third series next year."

Ncuti made his debut at the Comic Con convention in San Diego, California over the summer and actor revealed it was an "intense" experience meeting all the 'Doctor Who' fans.

He said: "It was incredible – it was like nerds’ Olympics. It was intense but beautiful and ‘Whovians’ are the sweetest and best fans."

Ncuti also opened up about his next role which is very different to playing the Doctor - he's playing snooty Algernon Moncrieff in a new production of Oscar Wilde's play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' at the National Theatre in London.

The actor explained rehearsals are now getting underway ahead the play's debut in November. He said: "We started this week, and we are still sitting at a table dissecting the script. It is very silly, fun and camp – it is a traditional production infused with a modern lens."

The play runs from November 21 until January 25 2025.

It comes after 'Doctor Who' boss Russell T. Davies admitted casting Ncuti in the series was a "risk" because of his busy schedule.

The actor rose to fame as Eric Effiong in 'Sex Education' before stepping into the TARDIS and the showrunner admitted they were restricted by his prior filming commitments, but he still feels they got the right person as the 15th Timelord.

Russell told 'Doctor Who' magazine: “Casting Ncuti meant casting him before he’d finished on 'Sex Education'. That was a risk that we took, but it was absolutely the right risk, because it meant we got the best possible Doctor in 2024 that we could wish for."

'The Graham Norton Show' airs on BBC One on Friday October 11 at 10.40pm and is also available on BBC iPlayer.