BBC Doctor Who star defiantly hits back at ‘woke’ backlash facing series amid Ncuti Gatwa exit rumours: ‘Doing something right!’
Doctor Who has been hit in recent years by a wave of furious backlash from those claiming the classic series has become “too woke”.
Jodie Whittaker made history as the show’s first female Doctor in 2017, with Ncuti Gatwa taking centre stage in 2023 as the first Black Timelord.
Storylines over the last few years have cemented critics’ complaints of a “woke agenda,” with a 2023 episode referencing an alien’s pronouns, the introduction of a drag queen villain, and an ambiguous sexual attraction between David Tennant’s Doctor and a reimagining of Isaac Newton.
Addressing the claims, Varada Sethu, the actress behind the Doctor’s new companion Belinda Chandra, has argued such criticism means “we’re going the right thing”.
She remarked: “There’s been a couple of Doctor Woke [references] or whatever, but I just think we’re doing the right thing if we’re getting comments like that.”
Speaking to Radio Times, she continued to defend the series’ themes: “Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people.
“And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing.”
Following toxic online comments about her casting, which marks the first time both the Doctor and his sidekick are people of colour, the actress detailed her undeterred attitude.
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“Ncuti was like, ‘Look at us. We get to be in the TARDIS. We’re going to p*** off so many people,'” she recalled, laughing.
While Sethu may not be deterred, reports emerged earlier this year that leading star Gatwa was cutting ties with the franchise due to the backlash it faced.
One example of such backlash came when some fans deemed the long-running series “unwatchable” when it returned to screens last year.
Ratings reflected this, with the overnight ratings for the 2024 premiere hitting 2.6 million and 2.4 million per instalment of the doubleheader, according to TV Zone.
Social media was quickly flooded with angry reviews from disgruntled fans who argued the show had lost its original roots.
On X, some examples included complaints about the show’s new look, with one writing: “After the cast and crew told the old #DoctorWho fans to stop watching in favour of the ‘modern audience’, the current season’s 2-episode premiere received the lowest overnight ratings in the show’s HISTORY!!! #RIPDoctorWho.”
Another slammed the new villain of the series, sharing: “The Maestro was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. No exaggeration. #RIPDoctorWho.”
Meanwhile, a third fumed: “#RIPDoctorWho Wow. Well Dr Who is totally unwatchable now. Maybe have a Dr Who series again instead of a platform for gender politics and radical left wing ideology? Go woke go broke.”
The Christmas Day episode sparked a similar response, with fans deeming it “too political”.
A number of references were made in the episode, including the Partygate scandal.
Actress Nicola Coughlan made a special appearance as Joy in the instalment, but her character soon infuriated fans when Joy made a subtle dig at former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In an emotional scene, Joy explained to the Doctor how her mother had died on Christmas Day. She added: “I had to say goodbye to her through an iPad because of the rules.”
The Doctor responded: “I bet you were good at obeying the rules.”
“She died on Christmas Day,” Joy continued, recalling how her mother had “died on her own because of the rules.”
“And all of those awful people with their wine fridges, and their dancing and their parties, and I listened to them, and I let my mother die alone,” she reflected.