Russell T Davies thinks Olly Alexander would make a “marvellous” Time Lord (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has backed It’s A Sin star Olly Alexander to be the next Time Lord in the TARDIS.
With Jodie Whittaker rumoured to be stepping away from the show in the coming months, the door is open for the first openly queer actor to play the next Doctor.
Davies insisted he “knew nothing” about when or if Whittaker will be leaving the show, but in the event that she does, he has the perfect person in mind.
“Yes, Olly would make a marvellous Doctor Who,” he told SFX, then chided the editor for broaching the topic in the first place. “You tart! You enormous tart! The trouble this causes!
“They’ll be banging his door, his agent will be saying, ‘What have you done now…’ On your own head be it.”
Olly Alexander is currently making waves as the leading man of It’s A Sin, Davies’ five-part series documenting the tragic human cost of the AIDS crisis.
Alexander plays young jobbing actor Ritchie Tozer, with one of his roles being in an ’80s episode of Doctor Who – a subtle nod from Davies paying homage to his old show.
Portraying an immortal regenerating alien would certainly be a big shift for Alexander after the gritty drama, but it sounds like he could be open to the idea.
Discussing future acting roles at a recent press launch for It’s A Sin, the star said: “I do want to play someone with magic powers. So I definitely am open to being, like, a sexy gay witch.”
And if that’s not a perfect description of Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, we don’t know what is.
While Alexander may be tempted, Russell T Davies definitively ruled out returning to the show after Chris Chibnall’s tenure. “I don’t understand it all these days. Literally,” he said.