The BBC is looking to go all out with next year's 60th anniversary celebrations for Doctor Who, including casting The Matrix Resurrections star Neil Patrick Harris in a villainous role.
The belief is that he's playing the evil Toymaster, with his machinations somehow involving David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. Of course, Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa is set to star as the latest incarnation of the iconic time-traveller, and there's a lot of excitement surrounding what he could bring to the table (especially under the watchful eye of Russell T Davis).
Davis was responsible for bringing Doctor Who back in 2005, and his return to the franchise has been celebrated by fans. As he's hot off the success of It's a Sin, the hope is Russell will bring a greater level of diversity to Doctor Who, but will that include the first openly gay Doctor?
Talking about his role in the show with Variety, Harris shared high praise for Gatwa and seemingly confirmed that will be the case.
"I got to meet and interact with him a bit and he’s glorious," the actor said. "He’ll be the first gay Doctor, which is going to be super cool, a sexier Doctor."
While Gatwa played a gay character in Sex Education, he's never talked openly about his own sexuality. We can't imagine Harris, who is also gay, has outed his Doctor Who co-star here, so common sense says he's referring to the character. That's a big move on Davis' part, and one that suggest the Doctor will find romance with a male companion in this next series.
Regardless, we can't wait to see this new era of Doctor Who storytelling take shape, and it seems fair to say that Gatwa will mark a big step forward for the franchise. He's the first Black actor to play the character, and it sounds like this next iteration is also going to explore his sexuality in a way we haven't seen before.
There's always a chance Harris' comments have been misinterpreted, but be sure to let us know your thoughts on this next step for the Doctor in the comments section below.