Room for all in the TARDIS

So, The Doctor in Dr Who is going to be played by Ncuti Gatwa, who is a black Scot of ambiguous sexuality. That’s three oppressed minorities ticked off in one. And before Humberside’s finest boys in blue are round here to ‘check my thinking’, let me fire off a sincere virtue signal. There were rumours of a black James Bond, and my vote went for Idris Elba who, I think, would be brilliant in the role. He has that unique combination of comedy timing and the ability to convey a cold ruthless killer. Just the ticket for Bond and I am sure that any Mish Monepenny would not consider it a mishtake. Sadly, Elba has confirmed that he will not play Bond and is moving away from acting. I do draw the line at a female James Bond, which very much appears to be on the cards, but I can see a bottomless pit opening up below me if I pursue that one.

Back to The Doctor. Surveying the headlines of a range of international newspapers, the news is that he’s black and less about whether he can act or can play the particular combination of cheese and quirk that is required. Apparently, he played a very convincing gay character in a recent series Sex Education. I never watched it and, given its description as a series that: “…follows the lives of the students, staff and parents of the fictional Moordale Secondary School as they contend with various personal dilemmas, often related to sexual intimacy” I am unlikely to.

There is not the slightest problem with The Doctor being black. After all, he regenerates periodically in new guises every time the character changes between series. The last Doctor was a woman played by Jodie Wittaker, so The Doctor is the first example of the perfect gender realignment in history: one which managed to change sex as well as gender. Nevertheless, a fair old fuss was made when Jodie Whittaker assumed control of the TARDIS. The Dr Who jury remains out on how well she portrayed The Doctor and, as someone who has not watched it since the days of William Hartnell and the Daleks, I have no view to offer.

However, you can see the way this is going. We’ve already had outrageously camp, but not gay, Tom Baker and a Scot (David Tennant). Next slip a woman into the role and see how it goes. Got away with that. Next up, someone of colour and see how that goes. Also, make sure that this is seen for what it is: a corporate virtue signal by the BBC. The vast majority of the Dr Who watching population—pre-pubescent kids and then a remarkable number of adult afficionados who lead sad and unfulfilled lives—will not bat an eyelid. Not good enough; they should be batting eyelids so that those at the BBC can point out what a bigoted bunch their viewers are and how they will be the ones to show them the error of their ways. Only one thing to do: up the oppressed minority ante.

The pre-pubescent viewers will—as indeed they should—see nothing wrong with a female or a black person in the role. But I cannot help feeling that Messrs Whitakker and Gatwa are being exploited (albeit handsomely paid) as the vanguard of enforced woke viewing by our national broadcaster. They are the tootsies in the water to test the temperature of the un-woke Dr Who watching public. I predict that the current incumbent will declare his sexuality during the forthcoming series of Dr Who (tick); up next…who knows? With 37 sexual identities, there, is still so much to choose from.

Roger Watson is a retired academic, editor and writer. He is a columnist with Unity News Network and writes regularly for a range of conservative journals including The Salisbury Review and The European Conservative. He has travelled and worked extensively in the Far East and the Middle East. He lives in Kingston upon Hull, UK.