Wait, Ryan Gosling might appear in the new season of Doctor Who?

After starring as Ken in Barbie, Ryan Gosling may be at the height of his power in Hollywood. And wouldn’t it be a gas if he took that influence and used it to snag a guest role in the upcoming new season of Doctor Who, which features his Barbie costar Ncuti Gatwa in the lead? (Gatwa played one of the many variant Kens.)

This rumor has been floating around for a while, but has gotten a boost after British tabloid The Sun reported that Gosling is “lined up to star in Doctor Who” and that he’s been “approached about a guest role.”

I know, I know: British tabloids are known for being pretty shameless and misleading, if not necessarily inaccurate. Let’s lay out the facts as we know them and you can come to your own conclusion.

Ryan Gosling is a huge fan of Doctor Who

So it’s true that Gosling is apparently a big Doctor Who fan, as Gatwa himself remembered. “I remember Ryan Gosling bounding up to my trailer [on the Barbie set] like, ‘Doctor Who is the coolest show in the world man! I’m the biggest fan.’ And I was like, ‘What the hell?’ This show has incredible reach.” Gosling was even photographed wearing a Doctor Who shirt with Gatwa’s face on it. At minimum, he is definitely watching the new season when it premieres next year.

But is that enough to prove that he’s going to be on the show? Even The Sun seems confused. Their headline says that Gosling is “lined up to star” on the show, but their proof seems to be a quote from a “TV insider” that sounds far more speculative. “This would be a huge coup for the show, but also a real honour for Ryan who is something of a Whovian,” the insider said. “It’s not clear yet what role he’d have, but the writers would tailor a character for him to play, if he could find the time in his packed schedule.”

So…it would be cool if Gosling did get a role. That’s how that reads to me. I wouldn’t put much stock in The Sun’s report, but I’m open to being surprised when Ncuti Gatwa kicks off his first Doctor Who season in 2024.

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