In the latest special episode of the beloved sci-fi series Doctor Who, aired on December 2, the protagonist appears to hint at his next “regeneration” as a gay man in a funny exchange with his fellow adventurer Donna Noble.
The highly-anticipated special episodes to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who have finally started to air and fans are raving about the first two. After the 13th Doctor was played by Jodie Whittaker, the episode starts with the usual reincarnation. However, this time the Doctor doesn’t get a new face but jumps into the same identity as his tenth iteration, played by David Tennant.
LGBTQ+ fans of the series were already treated to a very queer-inclusive episode on November 25, when the first part of the special aired. The episode introduced Heartstopper trans actor Yasmin Finney’s new character, Rose Noble, and was praised for opening important conversations about gender.
Continuing from that episode, in the second one the Doctor and Donna Noble go on a new adventure together, which doesn’t go exactly as planned. Indeed, when Donna speaks coffee into the iconic Tardis, the pair crash in 1666 England when they meet none other than Isaac Newton (played by Nathanial Curtis from It’s a Sin).
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this funny as hell the doctor like “ooo am i really This gay now ?!” https://t.co/RyxoeOuAGz
— doctor who spoilers (@t4tninerose) December 2, 2023
As they walk together after the encounter, Donna says: “Was it me or was Isaac Newton hot?”, to which the Doctor replies, “He was, wasn’t he? SO hot,” before catching himself and adding, “Oh, is that who I am now?”
Tellingly, his friend replies: “Well, it was never that far from the surface, I thought.”
The Fourteenth Doctor saying he’s gay now is so important because this whole series of specials has ALL BEEN ABOUT HOW FLUID THE DOCTOR IS.#DoctorWho has always been queer. Wild Blue Yonder just said now we can SAY it on screen. #DavidTennant #WildBlueYonder #DoctorWhospoilers pic.twitter.com/G4bX6XkYvu
— glory (fallen) ⏳ of the endless | TENTH DOCTOR ERA (@inhonoredglory) December 2, 2023
After watching the episode, fans took to social media to share their excitement at this new development, saying: “Doctor Who going from REALLY queer TO TEXTUALLY COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY queer is amazing.”
“The Fourteenth Doctor saying he’s gay now is so important because this whole series of specials has ALL BEEN ABOUT HOW FLUID THE DOCTOR IS,” another fan added. “#DoctorWho has always been queer.”
“he can’t be gay”, “dr who has become dr woke”, “stop shoving this gender nonsense down our throat”. Here is a clip of 12 explaining why you bozos are fucking stupid‼️ pic.twitter.com/JKZ0m6iJ76
— Beck | DOCTOR WHO🎂 (@jxvipike) December 3, 2023
The next episode airing on Saturday will see the Doctor develop a crush for a long-standing rival, the Toymaker, played by openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris. The episode will likely also feature a Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa, who is set to make history in the upcoming season of Doctor Who as the first openly gay and Black protagonist.
© 2023 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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