Russell T Davies responds to claims Doctor Who is ‘woke’: ‘Why be toxic?’
Last week, Ncuti Gatwa returned to his role in the sci-fi series alongside Varada Sethu, who is playing the latest companion.
This casting decision marks the first time that the the shows central duo has been played by non-white actors.
Speaking to BBC Radio 2 about the contingent of online critics complaining about the casting, Davies said: “Someone always brings up matters of diversity. And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues.
“I have no time for this. I don’t have a second to bear [it]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door.”
Varada Sethu, who plays new companion Belinda Chandra, has also spoken about viewers’ complaints of “wokeness”, saying she takes the label as a positive for the show.
“Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people,” she said. “I just think we’re doing the right thing if we’re getting comments like that. And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing.”
Similarly, speaking to the Radio Times, Gatwa said that the casting represented “progress, in terms of how we reflect the societies that we live in”.
He also added that “it’s exciting to look forward to a day when [having non-white leads] isn’t something huge”.
Doctor Who has seen 19 different actors in the lead, and 15 different versions of the Doctor, since its initial broadcast on the BBC in 1963, with William Hartnell being the first to take on the role.
Up until 2017, the role had only been played by male actors, but former head writer Chris Chibnall introduced Jodie Whittaker as the first female doctor.
Gatwa then appeared as the 15th Doctor in 2023, making him the first Black actor to take on the role.
In recent weeks, there have been unconfirmed reports that the show may be facing the axe and that Gatwa is due to leave.
The BBC has said any decisions on the show would be made after the current series ends.
