Unlike the protagonist of his sci-fi series, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies is a mere mortal without access to a Tardis — and, as such, has no patience for a certain type of criticism.
Davies slammed audiences who take issue with the diversity of the time travel show, which is currently led by Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu. “Someone always brings up matters of diversity,” the showrunner told BBC Radio 2. “And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues. And I have no time for this. I don’t have a second to bear it.”
Davies explained his reasoning. “What you might call diversity, I just call an open door,” he said. “We open a door, and there is the world, and you breathe it in and your lungs are full of the air and it’s cold and it’s bracing and there’s a world in front of you! There’s a blue sky. There’s clouds and There’s noise, there’s birdsong, there’s people arguing.”
He continued: “Someone over there is dancing, someone over there is arguing. That’s how to write, to get that whole world into it. Some people maybe just open a window a crack.”
Davies said that others may choose to create from a more narrow worldview, but he has no interest in limiting his horizons. “Stick with your narrow window,” he said. “Over here’s a big open door, and y’know those people who were dancing? Now everyone’s dancing, and it’s glorious. That’s the place to be.”
The showrunner also said that he’s not sure if his inclination toward diverse storytelling is necessarily conscious. “That’s life, and I think it’s the only way to write,” he said. “I think it’s harder to write with that narrow window. That’s really why. Why limit yourself? Why breathe in the exhaust fumes? Why be toxic? Come over here where the life and light and air and sound is.”
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James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf
Davies previously told Entertainment Weekly about how ecstatic he was to cast Sethu as the Doctor’s latest companion. “That was the fastest ‘yes.’ I remember I sent an email, not just to the people I work with, but to the BBC, to Disney+ — absolutely instant answers, saying ‘Yes, yes, yes,'” he remembered. “We all loved her. So it was actually one of the easiest pieces of casting we’ve ever had. Joyous.”
The screenwriter also praised the show’s lead performer. “He’s ferocious. He’s a limitless actor,” he said of Gatwa. “He’s a joy. He’s a force in the world. I mean, I think the man is a great force for good and it’s a joy to work for him, to serve him with scripts that will show all those talents under the greatest spotlight, with the most noise and fuss and visibility we can possibly muster. I think we’re doing him proud.”
