Olly Alexander is rumoured to be the next Doctor Who – and Twitter’s loving it

Olly Alexander, Years and Years frontman and star of the Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin, is rumoured to be the next Doctor Who, much to the delight of fans.

If true, Alexander would be the first gay actor to be cast in the role and become 14th incarnation of the Time Lord, taking over from Broadchurch actress and current Doctor Jodie Whittaker.

While there’s been no official confirmation of Whittaker exiting the sci-fi series, speculation intensified after she failed to appear on the newly released 2022 Doctor Who annual cover.

The Mirror reports that Whittaker will appear in the next series of the programme, followed by two specials next year, before regenerating – potentially into Alexander.

A source told The Sun on Saturday that Alexander is “on the verge of being announced” as the next TARDIS occupant, with talks apparently at an “advanced stage”.

“He’s been heavily promoted for the role by Russell [T Davies, former showrunner]— 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.

“It’s definitely happening, he’s just had to keep quiet about it while negotiations were finalised,” they said.

Whether Alexander is the next person to travel time and space in the big blue box remains uncertain, but it’s fair to say that Twitter is very excited at the possibility:

Meanwhile, others have hoped for another female Doctor after Whittaker, warning that her time in the role could look like “a blip” if the Doctor returns to being a man:

Given that a handful of people were outraged at the possibility of a shape-shifting alien being a woman, some Twitter users mocked the idea of these people being angry once more – this time at the prospect of a gay Doctor.

Alexander has already been asked about the rumours, telling The One Show in April: “Do you think if I was [cast in the role] I would tell you?”

He added: “I would love to – what an amazing role that would be – but it’s not happening I don’t think anytime soon.”

Well, whether it’s true or not, he certainly has experience with years and years...