Doctor Who: Olly Alexander denies rumors that he’s the new Doctor

As rumors continue to swirl about Jodie Whittaker’s tenure on Doctor Who, one of the frontrunners to replace her has shot down claims that he’s close to being announced as the new Doctor. Deadline reports that Olly Alexander has denied that he’s becoming the new Doctor, though the message from his agent Martha Kinn still has fans buzzing.

Kinn posted the following statement to Instagram: “Even though Olly is often contacted by Cybermen, I’m afraid I have to exterminate this speculation. As nice as it is to see interest in this story regenerate, it just isn’t true. As Ood as it might sound, Olly is focusing on his music, for the time being.”

Olly Alexander squashes Doctor Who rumors with inspired message

Kinn’s message is chock full of nods to the Doctor Who universe, with the final part of the message, “for the time being,” leaving enough wiggle room for a very different announcement down the line.

Alexander stars in It’s a Sin, which airs on UK’s Channel 4 and HBO Max in the US. The show is created by former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, which is one of the reasons why Alexander has been in the conversation when talk turns to the next Doctor. Davies himself is bullish about the idea. “Olly would make a marvelous Doctor Who,” he said.

Alexander is also the frontman for his band Years & Years, which is apparently what he’s focusing on right now.

Jodie Whittaker has had “practice” keeping Doctor Who secrets

Rumors continue to run rampant that Whittaker is leaving Doctor Who ahead of her third season on the show, three seasons being how long actors usually stick around in the role before moving on. Whittaker, though, isn’t saying anything. “You get used to it,” she told Doctor Who Magazine when asked about keeping secrets. “I hate spoilers.”

And of course, Whittaker has had a lot of practice from when she had to keep the secret that she had been cast in the first place. “I didn’t want it to leak; I didn’t have any desire for it to come out before the reveal, because I knew my life was going to change and I was in no rush for that to happen until I was prepared for it,” she said. “But professionally, I was the only person in my team that knew I’d been cast. I’d be sent auditions and I’d go, [faux diva voice] ‘I’m really sorry, I don’t really want to put myself up for that.’ I very nearly said ‘I’ve been cast!’ I nearly said that a hundred times. But I didn’t. It was hard, but it was worth it. And it was practice for keeping all the series’ other secrets.”

Production on Doctor Who season 13 is underway and set to premiere in late 2021. The production schedule was upended by the pandemic, shifting the total number of episodes from 11 to eight, with plans for at least one special in 2022.

Though Alexander has denied reports that he’s to become the next Doctor, it’s important to remember that actors are contractually bound to not reveal details about casting news. Even if the rumors were true, he couldn’t possibly say so. The announcement will come when the BBC is ready for it and not a moment sooner.

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