Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa confirms he's leaving Sex Education

He announced the sad departure news on his Instagram, writing: "Last day. Last time. Bye bubs, thank you for all the lessons and for all the strength."

His Sex Education co-star Aimee Lou Wood wrote in a comment: “My heart hurts badly.”

His performance as Eric alongside Asa Butterfield's Otis was standout and earned him a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. In an interview with Gay Times, Gatwa previously revealed how much his character had impacted viewers, describing:

“I was at UK Black Pride and the amount of people who were coming up to me specifically about the relationship between Eric and his dad was constant.

“And I think it really touched people to see this portrayal of this Black man, this strong big Black man loving his gay son. It was quite beautiful, and it’s something that we don’t see often and I think that’s why it impacted people.”

Read more:

• Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa spotted on set filming for the first time
• Doctor Who fans spot season 1 references in new filming pics

The news of Gatwa's departure may be surprising to some but will likely come as no surprise to Doctor Who fans who have patiently been waiting to see him as the new Doctor in the upcoming 14th season.

Having just been spotted on set in Cardiff filming for his first season of the sci-fi series, it's understandable that scheduling conflicts and the new role would generally impact any commitment to the Netflix series.

Gatwa was first glimpsed in a trailer at the end of Jodie Whittaker's final episode The Power of the Doctor, and will go on to lead the eight-part season with new companion Millie Gibson.

For now, we can only wait and see what Sex Education season 4 has in store for us. While we know it'll house a slew of exciting new characters, we'll have to watch on knowing that it will be Gatwa's last outing as Eric.

Sex Education is available to stream on Netflix. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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