“Doctor Who” Praised For LGBTQIA+ Representation On 60th Anniversary
For the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, a three-part special has been announced with one episode already having aired on November 25. This episode saw the return of Doctor Who alums David Tennant and Catherine Tate with special guest stars Miriam Margolyes and Yasmin Finney.
Fans of the series are commending the show for upholding LGBTQIA+ representation and for including important topics such as the proper use of pronouns.
Doctor Who has long been a queer-positive series
When Doctor Who returned to television in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus, showrunner Russel T Davies wanted to be sure to include LGBTQIA+ themes and characters. Captain Jack Harkness was one of the first companions to be non-heterosexual and the character’s popularity spawned its own spin-off series called Torchwood.
The series continued to include LGBTQIA+ characters and companions such as Clara Oswald, Bill Potts and Yasmin Khan. Even the titular Doctor has change genders throughout their lifetime. In The Star Beast, the first part of the anniversary special, Donna Noble returns and with her is her daughter, Rose Temple-Noble, played by Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney. Rose is depicted as a transgender, non-binary AFAB character and Finney speaks about how important seeing that kind of representation is.
Fans of the show are well-familiar with the positive representations that Doctor Who encourages and with Ncuti Gatwa taking the helm for the next reincarnation of the Doctor, the LGBTQIA+ storylines are unlikely to stop. It’s a good thing for fans as their reactions to this first special have been ecstatic.
