Russell T. Davies is too busy navigating the rules of space and time to humor critics of his show’s diversity and inclusion.
The Doctor Who showrunner, who previously revived the series in 2005, recently addressed criticism of the BBC and Disney+ reboot’s “diversity and wokeness,” after stars Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu defended the show.
“Someone always brings up matters of diversity. And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and of involving messages and issues,” said Davies on BBC Radio 2. “And 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.”
Although he admitted he doesn’t “know if it’s conscious” to put so much diversity in Doctor Who, Davies explained, “That’s life, and I think it’s the only way to write.”
With Sethu’s casting as the Doctor’s (Gatwa) new companion Belinda Chandra, their pairing represents the first time two people of color will pilot the show’s TARDIS in its 60+ year history, which Sethu recalled her co-star saying was “going to piss off so many people.”
Russell T. Davies attends the premiere of the new season of ‘Doctor Who’ on May 8, 2024 in Hollywood, California.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
“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,” she recently said. “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.”
New episodes of Doctor Who air Saturdays at 12am PT/3am ET on Disney+.
