Reports about It’s A Sin star Olly Alexander potentially taking over the lead role in Doctor Who have sparked a lot of conversation on social media.
The Years & Years singer – whose acting credits include Skins, Penny Dreadful and The Riot Club – found himself at the centre of rumours about succeeding Jodie Whittaker as the Time Lord on Sunday morning.
According to The Sun, Olly’s role as Ritchie Tozer in It’s A Sin impressed BBC bosses, and he’s now reportedly in “prime position to take over” the role of The Doctor.
The tabloid also noted that It’s A Sin creator Russell T Davies – who oversaw Doctor Who’s revival back in 2005 – had “championed” Olly for the part.
Of course, nothing is confirmed yet, but that hasn’t stopped fans of both Years & Years and Doctor Who from sharing their thoughts on Twitter:
Others pointed out that, in the past, the press hasn’t always exactly got it right when it comes to Doctor Who speculation:
Journalist Darren Scott – who recently interviewed Russell T Davies and mentioned Olly’s name to him in connection with Doctor Who – tweeted: “Hooting. I only asked RTD about this for SFX magazine as a joke.”
HuffPost UK has contacted the BBC and Olly Alexander’s management for comment.
Interestingly, Olly’s It’s A Sin character Ritchie Tozer appeared in a fictional episode of Doctor Who in the fourth instalment of the Channel 4 drama.
Russell T Davies previously said he included the scene not just as a nod to his own history with the sci-fi show, but as “a little smile” towards the late actor and AIDS campaigner Dursley McLinden, who played a small role in Doctor Who back in 1988.
“I was really desperate to do it,” Davies told Doctor Who magazine. “I did it for Dursley.”
Jodie Whittaker has played the Doctor since 2017, but it’s been widely rumoured she’ll be leaving the show after the forthcoming 13th series, though neither she nor the BBC has yet confirmed whether this is the case.