Russell T Davies, the writer behind “Queer as Folk,” “It’s a Sin,” and the 2005 return of “Doctor Who,” is 63. His boyfriend, Oliver Cole, is 27. That’s a gap of about 35 to 36 years, depending on whose math you use, and the internet has had plenty to say about it.
What’s missing from most of the chatter is what Davies himself has said. He has talked about the relationship in a couple of recent interviews, and his words are a lot more thoughtful than the headlines suggest. Here’s what’s on the record, and what’s just commentary.
Quick Facts
- Russell T Davies: born April 27, 1963, so he’s 63
- Oliver Cole: 27, Australian, described as a model by The Independent
- Relationship length: they marked their first anniversary in July 2026, per PinkNews
- Public debut: a Christmas Day 2025 Instagram post, per the Evening Standard
- Davies’s late husband: Andrew Smith, who died in September 2018
What Davies Said About the Age Gap
PinkNews reports that Davies spoke on the “How To Fail with Elizabeth Day” podcast, in coverage published September 30, 2026. He called the age difference “ridiculous, I know.”
He didn’t stop there. He said Cole is Australian and “very grown up,” and that Cole doesn’t feel “young” to him. He added that Cole has “seen a lot” and “fought his way to get to Britain.” PinkNews doesn’t give more detail on that journey, so I won’t guess.
I like that he said it plainly. Naming the gap first is a smart move, and it’s also just honest.
What He Said About Andrew
Davies also talked about his late husband. PinkNews says he described Cole as “completely respectful” of Andrew Smith’s memory. He mentioned watching The Chase with Cole, a show Andrew loved.
He called Cole “wonderful” and said he’s a “great lease of life.” Those are warm words from someone who lost his partner of many years.
Who Was Andrew Smith?
Andrew Smith died in September 2018 after a brain tumour, according to Instinct Magazine. That outlet says he was a customs officer, that the couple had been together for more than 20 years, and that Davies took two and a half years off work to care for him.
The sources don’t agree on the details. Hollywoodlife says they were together 19 years, while The Independent says 20 and that they married in 2019. Wikipedia lists the marriage as 2012. I can’t settle that from what I read, so I’m not going to pick a date.
How the Relationship Became Public
Davies posted a selfie with Cole on Instagram on Christmas Day 2025, with the caption “Merry Christmas! From me & Oliver” and a red heart. The Evening Standard covered it as a debut. Russell Tovey and a few other friends commented with congratulations.
The Standard also says they had reportedly been dating quietly for several months. The exact start isn’t clear, though PinkNews’s July 2026 anniversary points to around July 2025.
What He Told The Guardian
In a Guardian interview published October 3, 2026, Davies said he told his Doctor Who bosses once the relationship became serious. The Independent’s report, republished on AOL, says he wanted to head off any claim that he was using his position to date a fan.
Cole is described as a Doctor Who fan, and the two reportedly connected on Instagram. I only have this through The Independent’s report, since I couldn’t open the Guardian piece, so treat the details as secondhand.
Is Davies Still the Showrunner?
Some articles still call him the Doctor Who showrunner. According to Wikipedia, he ran the show from 2023 to 2025, with David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. The Independent also describes his run as ending last year. I’d call him the former showrunner and check the latest news before you publish anything.
The Hollywoodlife Therapist Piece
Hollywoodlife ran a column on October 9 by Figs O’Sullivan, a San Francisco couples therapist. It’s written as commentary on love after loss, and it makes a few points worth passing on:
- Public reaction to age-gap couples can say more about the audience’s discomfort than the couple’s choices.
- He reads Davies’s “ridiculous” remark as a way of naming a possible weakness first, to control how it’s framed.
- He describes a “comparison trap” in second-chance love, where a new partner gets measured against a late one.
- He argues that love isn’t a limited resource.
There are two things to know before you quote it. The author has never met the couple, so this is general opinion, not insight into their relationship. And the column links to services he sells, so it’s partly promotional. It also gives no source for the Davies quotes it uses.
What Didn’t Sit Right in the Coverage
I’d flag a few things. Some pieces call the relationship a “late-life crisis” or say he’s “chasing clout.” The Hollywoodlife column presents those as online criticism, not documented comments, and nobody I found has actually said that on the record.
The ages also bounce around. Instinct Magazine says Davies is 62 because it was published in January 2026, before his birthday. Different outlets say 35 or 36 years for the gap. Neither number is wrong, since it depends on the date and the birthday.
And there’s no reliable account of how the two met. Several outlets say it isn’t clear, so I’d stay away from anything that claims to know.
My Take
Both men are adults, and the relationship has been public for months. Davies has addressed the age gap directly, been open about his grief, and said he told his employers. Those are the actions of someone trying to be transparent.
The loudest voices seem to be people who don’t know either of them. That says more about how we treat older-and-younger couples, especially gay couples, than about this one. I’d leave the rest to the two of them.
Where to Read More
For Davies’s own words, the PinkNews coverage of the podcast and The Independent’s report on the Guardian interview are the closest to the source. Everything else is commentary.
What do you make of the reaction to the age gap, and do you think it’s fair? Tell me in the comments.