Posted in: BBC, Current News, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: bbc, doctor who, olly alexander, russell t davies

Bookmakers Pull All Bets On The Next Doctor Who — Is The Fix In?

A few days ago, looking at the news that Russell T Davies is returning to be the showrunner of Doctor Who from 2023 onwards, Bleeding Cool reported that the odds on the next Doctor Who to replace Jodie Whittaker and Jo Martin in the role, had dramatically shifted. And that current bookmakers' favourite by far was Olly Alexander, even though his agent had previously denied such rumours. Previously at 7:1. when I started writing the article, odds dropped from 3:1 to 2:1. Leaving other favourites he had been level pegging with behind. Kris Marshall at 11/2, Lenny Henry at 6/1, Michaela Coel at 8/1, Paul McGann at 10/1, and Michael Sheen at 12/1. But now? All bookmakers who were running odds on what are called "special bets" have pulled them for Doctor Who. Betfair, Paddy Power, Coral, Ladbrokes, the lot. You can still bet on BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, the next James Bond, or the winner of Strictly Come Dancing. But Doctor Who is now off the table. No more bets. This usually happens when the bookies believe a fix is in, that someone knows and is making bets with that knowledge. Maybe that a large number of bets have been made on a certain individual out of the blue. And probably from someone walking into a William Hill in Cardiff and putting ten grand on… who? Could it be on Olly?

Olly Alexander is a British musician, singer-songwriter, actor, LGBTQ advocate, and television presenter, whose music is released under the name Years & Years. Born in Harrogate in Yorkshire, home to Thought Bubble and just down the road from Jodie Whittaker's Huddersfield, he started acting and recording music young. He first appeared in the film Summerhill released in 2008. Years & Years formed in 2010, with Alexander joining the band as lead vocalist after member Mikey Goldsworthy heard him singing in the shower and liked his voice. Their debut single I Wish I Knew was released in July 2012 on the Good Bait label, with the band performing as a five-piece group. In 2013, Alexander starred as Peter Pan in the West End play Peter and Alice alongside Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench and got a supporting role in the final series of Skins, which caught Russell T Davies' eye.

Years & Years signed a deal to the French label Kitsuné as a three-piece and released their second single, called Traps. Years & Years' most successful single, King, released under Polydor, headed straight to number one in the UK Single Chart in March 2015, earning the band national recognition. Davies names his drama Years And Years after the band and in January 2021, Alexander starred in Davies' drama It's a Sin which depicts gay life in the 1980s and early 1990s. His character even appeared on a fictional episode of Doctor Who within It's A Sin. Earlier this year, Davies said that he would have loved to cast Alexander as The Doctor – hence why the bookies were previously scrambling now we know that Davies will return to the show as showrunner and bringing Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter back. Let's do it, let's do it tonight, with images of Johnny B… well, you know.

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