Ncuti Gatwa has said he struggled working on Sex Education at times (Picture: Netflix/ PA)

Ncuti Gatwa has said there was a ‘battle’ on the set of Sex Education which he described as not always being a ‘joyous’ experience.

The actor, who is taking over as the new Time Lord in Doctor Who, had his breakout role in the Netflix series, playing openly gay teenager Eric Effiong.

However, as the series comes to a close, Ncuti, 30, has spoken about his struggle with the series at times.

While he said saying goodbye was bittersweet, he also had to content with the show’s creative direction.

‘It was very hard; it was such a big show,’ he recalled.

‘When you’re telling stories that haven’t been seen before, there’s always a battle as to how to tell them.

Ncuti starred in Sex Education alongside Asa Butterfield (Picture: Sam Taylor/ Netflix/ Kobal/ Shutterstock)

‘It wasn’t always joyous. I feel like we’ve outgrown it and we’ve given everything we can to it,’ he added while speaking to Rolling Stone.

He also explained how being involved in the hit series ‘fast-tracked me into the downsides of this industry’.

‘I remember being told by an executive producer that white people wouldn’t understand my character, Eric, which incensed me.

‘There’s an entire show there for white people to understand,’ he added.

During the interview the actor also spoke about his parents, who are religious, tuning in.

The actor will appear as the next Doctor when Doctor Who returns later this year (Picture: BBC/Bad Wolf/Disney)

While they have watched the show, he said they ‘don’t really speak about it’.

‘I didn’t want them to, but I couldn’t stop them. And they are very supportive, thankfully.

‘It’s not the most comfortable thought to know that my mum knows what my cum face looks like but… we move.’

Ncuti also explained how the trajectory of his life was changed when he was cast in the show, and that he was ‘still trying to get to grips with what happened’, which he acknowledged his fame would likely only increase once he started appearing as the Doctor later this year.

Last week Ncuti also spoke about speculation about his sexuality from fans of the show.

‘After Sex Education, we all became public property, to an extent. You have to fight for your right to privacy after that,’ he said.

Speaking to British Vogue, he said he sometimes felt as though he ‘owes’ something to viewers and fans of his work.

However, the actor added that he knew he wanted to separate his public and personal life as he ‘never wanted my personal life to overshadow my work’.

Sex Education season 4 is released on Netflix on September 21.

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‘I feel like we’ve outgrown it.’