Olly Alexander speaks out about Doctor Who claims
He was rumoured to be the first gay actor to play the Time Lord
Last updated 28th Jun 2021
Singer and actor Olly Alexander was reportedly set to become the new Doctor Who and the first ever gay actor to play the legendary Time Lord.
The Years & Years star was set to take over from Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, who made history as the first woman to play the character. However, the rumours have seemingly been quashed by a spokesman for the performer.
Jodie allegedly stepped down from the iconic role which she has played for five years, after replacing Peter Capaldi in 2017, but is set to take part in two final Doctor Who specials in 2022.
30-year-old Olly recently starred in Channel 4 hit drama series ‘It’s A Sin’, which was written and created by prolific Doctor Who producer Russell T Davies.
The drama, based on the TV producer’s own experiences, earned critical acclaim earlier this year as it portrayed a group of young gay friends living in London during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
However, a spokesperson for Olly has silenced the reports that he would be the 14th Time Lord and branded them as not true. The spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “Even though Olly is often contacted by cybermen, I’m afraid I have to exterminate this speculation.
“As nice as it is to see interest in this story regenerate, it just isn’t true,” they added. “As Ood as it might sound, Olly is focusing on his music, for the time being.”
Olly's band Years & Years recently released a cover of the Pet Shop Boys' classic single 'It's A Sin', which he later performed at the BRIT Awards alongside AIDS charity founder Sir Elton John.
On Sunday, a BBC insider said: “As ever bosses are staying tight-lipped about what they have planned but, with filming still going on, they clearly have plans for episodes to be playing out much later into 2022 so there’s lots more to come for Jodie’s Doctor.”
Check out the history of Years & Years:
Olly Alexander on the red carpet
Olly Alexander played Jason Banks in 2009 film Tormented. He had previously starred in TV movie Summerhill in 2009 and smaller roles in other TV series.
Olly Alexander at the premiere of Great Expectations
Olly played Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations, released in 2012. The film was Olly's first big hit. A year later, he went on to star in popular TV series Skins for two series as Jakob.
Years & Years formed
Years & Years formed in 2010, they are Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy & Emre Turkmen. The band formed when Emre and Mikey met on a website made for finding band members. Olly only joined after they heard him singing in the shower and liked his voice!
Years & Years release debut album
The band's debut album 'Communion' was released in July 2015. The album debut at number 1 in the UK Official Chart and outsold the rest of the top five combined in it's first week.
The band release 'King'
'King' was the band's first number one single and it went platinum in the UK.
Coachella
The band performed at Coachella Festival in 2016.
Years & Years at Glastonbury
Years & Years performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2019. During their set, Olly gave a powerful speech about LGBTQ+ history.
Years & Years at The Brit Awards
Years & Years have been nominated for a number of Brit Awards including: British Single Of The Year and British Group.
It's A Sin
Olly Alexander plays Ritchie in the 2021 Channel 4 drama It's A Sin created by Russell T Davies.
Years & Years is now a solo Olly Alexander project
In March 2021 Years & Years announced they would continue as an Olly Alexander solo project. Emre will work as a writer-producer alongside the band whilst Mikey will only join Olly for live performances. The trio have been together since 2010.
Read more:
9 things you probably didn’t know about Years & Years