Yorkshire-born actor Olly Alexander tipped to be next Doctor Who as speculation grows in national press

A Yorkshire-born musican and actor is being widely tipped to be the new lead in Doctor Who, according to reports.

Speculation has been building in recent months that Huddersfield's Jodie Whittaker is to leave her starring role in the long-running BBC show after the next series comes to an end.

The weekend has seen the rumour mill go into overdrive after The Guardian and other newspapers picked up on claims in The Sun that the BBC was in talks with Olly Alexander, star of Russell T Davies's Channel 4 drama It's A Sin, to become the next Doctor.

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The actor and pop singer has hit the headlines twice in the last 12 months, firstly for his widely-acclaimed performance as lead character Ritchie role in It's A Sin and, secondly when he sang a show-stopping duet with Elton John at the Brit Awards.

Olly Alexander is being widely tipped as the next Doctor in Doctor WhoOlly Alexander is being widely tipped as the next Doctor in Doctor Who
Olly Alexander is being widely tipped as the next Doctor in Doctor Who

He was born in Harrogate and is the son of Vicki Thornton, who co-founded Coleford Music Festival, He spent the early years of his life in the Yorkshire town before being educated at St John's Primary School in Coleford in the Forest of Dean.

A long-time advocate for - and supporter of - the LGBTQ+ community, Alexander fronted BBC documentary Growing Up Gay in 2017.

If the speculation turns out to be accurate, he would become the first out gay actor to play the Time Lord.

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Before his star turn as Ritchie in It's A Sin last year, Alexander, 30, first won fame with Years & Years, the multi-platinum-selling band that has become a solo project, but he has enjoyed a successful acting career ever since he left school gained an agent at the age of 16.