THE PLATFORM
DEVOUT FAN LILLIAN CRAWFORD ON DOCTOR WHO ENTERING A GROUNDBREAKING ERA
WHEN I FIRST tuned in to Doctor Who aged six in 2005, the possibilities of the universe seemed endless. That feeling only grew when Jodie Whittaker was cast as the Thirteenth Doctor, and the announcement of Ncuti Gatwa as her replacement underlined the fact that the Doctor can become anyone, regardless of sex, race, or species.
Russell T Davies has always put representation at the centre of his take on the BBC’s beloved series, and his return with the 60th anniversary specials has shown he is more committed to diversifying the Whoniverse than ever.
Unlike cynics, I loved Whittaker’s tenure as the Doctor. I remember watching teary-eyed as she leapt onto the screen in 2018, quite literally falling to earth and bubbling with enthusiasm for a new era. Showrunner Chris Chibnall brought on board the TARDIS some exceptional writers, not least Malorie Blackman, who penned a powerful episode about the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to leave her seat on a segregated bus.
With the upcoming series teasing historical episodes in Regency England and the 1960s, I’m hopeful that the show will continue to confront the more challenging aspects of the past. The recent specials have already proved Davies’ commitment to tackling missteps in Who’s own history, including the racial stereotyping of the original Celestial Toymaker, reinvented in ‘The Giggle’ by Neil Patrick Harris.
