Olly Alexander responds to buzz about becoming the next Doctor

It’s a Sin star Olly Alexander is one of several actors fans are buzzing about maybe becoming the next Doctor on Doctor Who, and the first to respond.

Doctor Who hopeful Olly Alexander has said it would be “amazing” to take over the role from incumbent Jodie Whittaker, keeping his lips sealed as to whether he’s already been approached for what he calls a “dream role.”

Speaking on Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden on UK radio, the 30-year-old LGBTQ+ actor and singer said, “I think it would be amazing. It’s an amazing role and an amazing show.” However, Alexander refused to confirm whether he’d actually been approached about it, joking that while he was normally “very indiscreet,” his “lips are sealed.”

The comments are likely to increase intense speculation that current star Jodie Whittaker will leave Doctor Who following the show’s upcoming 13th season, due to be broadcast on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US later this year.

Alexander is seen as a rising star in acting, coming to prominence just a few months ago in the critically acclaimed It’s a Sin, broadcast on the UK’s Channel 4, after previous roles in Skins and Penny Dreadful. The show, a hard-hitting drama on the late 1980s AIDs epidemic, was penned by former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, who got the rumor mill turning on Alexander when he told SFX Magazine that the actor would be “marvelous” as the next Doctor, and even hinted that casting him could get Davies to “change [his] mind” about returning to science fiction.

In one scene from It’s a Sin, Olly’s character, Ritchie, wins an acting role on a fictional episode of Doctor Who featuring the Daleks. With the Channel 4 production team recreating the look of ’80s Doctor Who episodes like “Resurrection of the Daleks,” it’s obvious these scenes were a labor of love for Davies.

Anyway, Davies isn’t the only person backing Alexander. John Barrowman (Captain Jack) offered his support during a January appearance on ITV’s Lorraine. “Olly would be amazing!” he said. “He’s a lovely actor, and I think he would make a wonderful Doctor.” And just days ago, Barrowman said he wanted to see LGBTQ+ representation in the show. “I’d love to see a transgender Doctor. I think that would be awesome,” he said, adding that casting a “androgynous, gender non-specific person” would also be “really good.”

While Alexander’s candidature seems to be gaining momentum, the favorite with bookmakers remains I May Destroy You star Michaela Coel, with Richard Ayoade, Natalie Dormer, and Kris Marshall also in the running.

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