Lydia West addresses Doctor Who rumours: “It would be an honour”

"I mean the fact I’ve been named as one of the favourites is quite special," she answered. "So I mean, it would be an honour to be the Doctor. I'm glad people think I could do it!"

And asked if there was any specific actor she'd like to see inherit the sonic screwdriver if it wasn't to be her, she added, "Oh I don't want to say any names. There’s too many actors that I admire out of there who could play it so brilliantly. I think whoever is awarded the role will bring their own unique take to it – and yeah, I'm excited to see!"

West has worked with returning showrunner Russell T Davies on two separate occasions – in both the aforementioned It's A Sin and his 2019 drama Years and Years – so would certainly make sense as a possible candidate for the Fourteenth Doctor.

She currently has a number of future projects in the pipeline, including another series that has some major Doctor Who connections in Inside Man – an upcoming four-parter created and written by Steven Moffat and also starring David Tennant.

This week, she's starring as one of the celebrity sitters on Portrait Artist of the Year – and says it will be the first time she's ever had her portrait drawn.

"So I was approached to do it and I've seen the show a couple of times, and I was really interested in it," she said when asked why she wanted to take part. "I think it’s just a great thing to kind of introduce new artists to the world and support young artists and very established artists too.

"I’ve never had my portrait drawn, so I was up for the challenge. I didn't really know what it would entail or what to make of it until I got there. But I think it's promoting something very good!"

Additional reporting by Grace Henry.

Portrait Artist of the Year 2021 airs on Sky Arts. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.