Olly Alexander rules himself out of Doctor Who role but reveals his top pick
The Years And Years singer had been a frontrunner to play the Time Lord.
Olly Alexander has ruled himself out of taking on the role of Doctor Who after being one of the bookies’ favourites, but revealed he would like his It’s A Sin co-star to play the part.
The Years And Years singer, who had been a frontrunner to play the Time Lord, said he would like Omari Douglas to take on the character.
Alexander starred as Ritchie Tozer in Russell T Davies’ hit miniseries which explored the Aids crisis in London in the 1980s and early ’90s, while Douglas played his friend, Roscoe Babatunde.
Speculation about a member of the It’s A Sin cast taking on the Doctor Who title was fuelled when it was confirmed that Davies would return to the sci-fi TV series as showrunner to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023.
Alexander told the PA news agency: “I’m definitely not going to be the Doctor but it’s going to be so amazing, Russell’s Doctor.
“I mean, it was before, and it will be again, and it has been great. So I’m excited to watch the show because I’m a fan.”
He confirmed he is “definitely backing Omari Douglas” for the role, adding: “I think the Doctor’s quite queer anyway – that’s my take on the character – and I think it would really make sense for a queer actor to take the role.
“I think it would bring something really great to the part and in the performance, I’d love to see that.”
Bookmaker Ladbrokes has dropped Alexander’s odds of replacing Jodie Whittaker to 6-1, while Douglas has overtaken him at 5-1, and another It’s A Sin star, Lydia West, who played Jill Baxter, is now leading at 3-1.
Despite turning down a return collaboration on Doctor Who, Alexander confirmed he would work on another project with Davies again, adding: “I think Russell’s amazing. He’s been a hero of mine since I was 14 years old, watching Queer As Folk in secret. So he’s definitely a legend, and everything he does is great.”
The 31-year-old singer had a successful music career before he turned his hand to acting, and his third studio album, titled Night Call, is due to be released in the new year.
Alexander said that after the pandemic hit he scrapped his former material and went back to the drawing board for the new record.
He described the tone of the album as “feel-good” and said the songs revolve around the things he was lacking during that period, like going out, dancing, hook-ups and intimacy.
He has also recently released a single, titled A Second To Midnight, with Kylie Minogue, which the pair performed alongside some of their other hits songs to an intimate crowd of 50 guests in central London for the first-ever concert by Secret Socials with Hilton.
Alexander said he was “very excited” to be doing such an intimate show and reconnecting with some of the fans, but added that it was “one of the best nights” of his life to be duetting with Minogue.
He told PA that Minogue had advised him to always think “What’s next?” and to keep the message of inclusivity and staying true to yourself at the core of his work.
He also revealed that he would love to collaborate with pop stars Rihanna, Kate Bush and Lil Nas X if he ever got the chance.
