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Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has revealed he reported himself to bosses after starting a relationship with a fan “in case anyone tried to say I was abusing my position”.
The TV writer, whose impressive credits include the groundbreaking Queer as Folk and Channel 4 drama It’s a Sin, masterminded the sci-fi show’s hugely successful revival in 2005 and remained as showrunner until 2010.
He then returned for a second stint at the helm in 2023, which ended last year. While overseeing the programme again, the 63-year-old began dating Oliver Cole, a 27-year-old model, after connecting via Instagram.
Speaking to The Guardian, Davies said: “When it became a relationship, I reported it to the bosses at Doctor Who, in case anyone tried to say I was abusing my position by going out with a fan.”
When the interviewer suggested the show’s huge viewership “represents quite a wide dating pool of fans”, Davies replied: “And there’s not many you’d go out with. You know that’s true!”
The writer also revealed how his friends felt about his and Cole’s 36-year age gap.
“They were all very polite. I’m absolutely certain behind my back some of them were saying: ‘What the hell?’ But then they met him,” he said. “He’s quite extraordinary.
“He’s Australian, and they tend to be quite tough and ahead of the game and know what they think. I was dreading what [Davies’s long-term producer] Nicola Shindler might think. Then she met him and said: ‘Oh! I get it, he’s lovely.’”
The relationship began seven years after the death of Davies’ husband, Andrew Smith, in 2018, following eight years of treatment for a form of brain cancer.
The couple were together for 20 years and married in 2019.
Appearing on the On the Marie Curie Podcast earlier this year, Davies revealed that his husband decided not to find out how long doctors expected him to live when he received his diagnosis.
Davies, who was informed his husband had only 18 months to live, said “it was completely to my surprise” that Smith did not want to know – noting that he believed the decision likely helped his husband far outlive the estimate.
The screenwriter described Smith’s death as his “greatest loss” and recalled holding his hand when he died at home, alongside Davies’ sister, which he said was “very important” to him.
“I’m really glad he was at home,” he added.
