Doctor Who bosses are said to have their sights set on It’s A Sin actor Omari Douglas to take over the iconic title role.
The up-and-coming actor exploded into the spotlight at the beginning of the year playing Roscoe Babatunde in the gripping Channel 4 drama about the 1980s AIDs crisis.
And after impressing the TV world with his charismatic acting chops, BBC bosses are said to be desperate to cast him as the fourteenth Doctor.
While the fact that Omari has worked with Doctor Who writer Russell T Davis – who also penned It’s A Sin – could also put him in good stead to land the role.
A TV source told The Sun this week: “Omari is the perfect candidate on so many levels, including the fact that the BBC said they’d prefer the Doctor to be played by a non-white actor.
“He has also struck up the kind of close working relationship with Russell that helped Christopher [Eccleston – the Ninth Doctor] and David [Tennant – the Tenth Doctor] get the sought after role.
“And although he’s not quite a household name yet, he’s proved he's a great actor with a memorable performance in It’s a Sin.”
It’s A Sin co-star Olly Alexander, 31, has also been in the running to portray the Doctor – with the role being left open once current star Jodie Whittaker steps down.
The 39-year-old actress took over the mantle from 63-year-old Peter Capaldi in 2018 – making history as the first female Doctor to front the franchise.
She is expected to bow out of the show following the airing of three special episodes that are due to air in 2022.
While Doctor Who originally ran between 1963 and 1989, Russell T Davis resurrected the franchise in 2005 with an updated series featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and Billie Piper as his assistant.
The rejuvenated series captured the imaginations of a new generation of fans – with the show pulling in over 10 million viewers.
A Christmas special featuring Kylie Minogue pulled in over 13.3 million viewers in 2007, with the show continuing to enjoy success while Matt Smith took control of the role.
Ratings began to decline when Peter Capaldi took the reigns in 2014 – with a peak of 9.1 million viewers when he began, but figures dropping below 5 million during the course of his three season run.
Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor injected renewed interest in the show with ratings hitting above 10 million again – before rapidly dropping below five million last year.
Fans of the show are hoping the series will return to past glory days from 2023 when Russell is set to return as a showrunner – coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the long-running series.
Explaining his return, Russell told the BBC earlier this year: “I’m beyond excited to be back on my favourite show.
“But we’re time-travelling too fast, there’s a whole series of Jodie Whittaker’s brilliant Doctor for me to enjoy, with my friend and hero [current showrunner] Chris Chibnall at the helm – I’m still a viewer for now.”
