Doctor Who it’s a show about timeline-bending adventures, strange space monsters, long hallways, and weird geniuses—but it’s also about the power of love and acceptance, a wild idea that some viewers can’t seem to grasp. Back in January, the BBC said it had received 144 complaints about its new transgender character, Yasmin Finney’s Rose Noble. And now, a new wave of complaints has been raised due to the gagging between Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and Jonathan Groff’s stupid hunter in last season’s “Rogue”.
In January, the BBC dismissed anti-trans complaints in a statement reminding all that “[Doctor Who] the program continues and will continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in. We always remember the content of our episodes.”
This time, Deadline reports, the network received spells from just two viewers who were shocked by what they saw on the Bridgerton-inspired episode, citing “inappropriate sexual content” and content that was “not suitable for children.” And, amusingly, “one person added that the speed of the Doctor’s interaction with Rogue was ‘concerning.'” (The episode’s running time was just under 45 minutes; how long would they have taken?)
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit dismissed the complaints outright, with further explanation of that viewer being disturbed by the idea of romantic love. Traders quoted the group’s statement as follows: “ECU considers that the sexual discourse is towards the soft edges and in any case it may go over the heads of children. The development of the relationship fulfilled the needs of the immediate plot and was unlikely to affect viewers of any age as a model of interpersonal relationships without this particular fictional context.”
“Rogue” was notable not because it contained the first same-sex kiss Doctor Who-didn’t; that was back in 2005 when Jack Harkness got a goodbye peck from the Ninth Doctor—but only because it was the first same-sex kiss with real emotion behind it. The difference is especially notable considering, as io9’s James Whitbrook noted, the approach is disappointing. Doctor Who handled the chemistry-filled relationship between the Thirteenth Doctor and companion Yaz during Jodie Whittaker’s tenure in the series.
Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor will return this Christmas with the title “Joy to the World,” a Doctor Who festive specials with each other Bridgerton connection: will play Nicola Coughlan in the Netflix period romance series. Whether Groff’s Rogue—who asked the Doctor to “find me” just before he was forcibly removed—will appear again has yet to be determined, but the two characters have some unfinished business.
In the US, you can watch Doctor Who on Disney+.
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