Doctor Who rumours: Olly Alexander reported to be next Time Lord

A Gloucestershire star is to be the next Doctor Who if rumours are true.

‘It’s a Sin’ star Olly Alexander is reportedly the next to take on the titular role in the Doctor Who franchise.

Olly, 30, who comes from the Forest of Dean, would be replacing Jodie Whittaker, who made history as the first woman cast as the Doctor.

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And if rumours are to be believed then Olly would also be making history as the first gay actor to play the Time Lord, according to the Mirror.

It comes after it was reported that Jodie, 39, would step down following two specials next year.

Years and Years singer Olly, who won critical acclaim for his debut performance in Russell T Davies’ Channel 4 drama following a group of young gay friends living in London during the AIDs crisis, is believed to be at an “advanced stage” in negotiations with BBC bosses.

It comes after Russell, who was also previously a writer and producer on Doctor Who, suggested that Olly would be great in the role.

A source told The Sun: “Olly is on the verge of being announced as the new Doctor. Negotiations are at an advanced stage.

“He’s been heavily promoted for the role by Russell — who he’s worked closely with on other projects. Russell was impressed with his work and felt he was a great fit for the Doctor.”

They added that it was “definitely happening” and that Olly has “had to keep quiet” about it during negotiations.

Current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has used the Daleks in scenes set in GCHQ in Cheltenham and on the Clifton Suspension Bridge, in two New Year’s Day specials.

Rights to the Daleks lie with the estate of Terry Nation and the BBC, and Davies managed to get permission for Channel 4 to use them.

Meanwhile, a BBC insider also told the publication that bosses are staying “tight-lipped” and that filming for 2022 is still ongoing and that there is “lots more to come” for Jodie’s Doctor.

Olly has been one of the bookies’ favourites to take over the role, but not the frontrunner.

Interestingly, Michael Sheen was the favourite earlier this month at 6/4, followed by Michaela Coel (4/1) and Richard Ayoade (9/1).

It comes after it was revealed that Jodie would star in two specials in her swansong as Doctor Who, to be filmed back-to-back with the upcoming series.

They will air on BBC1 next year and extend her run as the Time Lord into 2022, even though she’ll actually hang up her sonic screwdriver when filming ends in the next couple of months.

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