Posted in: BBC, Current News, TV | Tagged: doctor who

RTD Sees Doctor Who as "Gay Show"; Calls Out Toxic Fans, "Hate Site" X

Showrunner Russell T. Davies on viewing Doctor Who as a "gay show" and needing to separate social media trolls from the larger fandom.

During a session at Series Mania in France on Wednesday, Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T. Davies was primarily focused on discussing his upcoming new series, Tip Toe. But that didn't mean he didn't have some "big picture" thoughts on the long-running series – especially when it comes to separating social media "fans" from the overall fandom. As Davies sees it, the mainstream media continues to make the mistake of falling into "the trap of talking about fans and assuming that means the online voice." Considering the hate that Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa dealt with going into and during their respective runs, it's a topic that needs to be addressed – and for some time. But first, Davies explains what makes Doctor Who a "gay show" to him.

"I think of 'Doctor Who' as a gay show," Davies shared with those in attendance, noting the show's foundational theme of "the outsider looking in." He added, "[Doctor Who] isn't, technically, but [The Doctor's] an outsider who doesn't fit in with the world and lives his own life, and he's very othered from sex and from relationships." As for the show's fandom, Davies anted to make it clear that there's a universe-sized difference between fans and social media fans, with the latter growing more toxic and influential by the day.

"I think they are different things. I know they're different things, I absolutely know that," Davies said. "And that online voice, which is hostile, exists on X, which is a hate site. We shouldn't be surprised to find hatred on it, because it's a hate site … It's very dangerously assumed that that is the fan voice." But as much as those social media voices may be in the minority in terms of the overall fandom, their loud noise is getting heard – and picked up – by mainstream media.

"That's where the danger point happens of the minority voices slipping more into the mainstream, because suddenly they're in newspaper articles, suddenly you find critics quoting those voices," he added. Davies made it clear that fans can dislike a show, but that doesn't mean it has to turn into personal attacks and hate-messaging. "Fandom is creative and brilliant and fun, but it's all getting soured. Turn those phones off for anyone under 16, chuck them in the bin. I literally am evangelical about it," Davies said, reminding attendees that fans can "have a great time disagreeing" without things having to turn toxic.

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