BBC Responds to Anti-Trans Doctor Who Complaints: Lol, Lmao, Etc.

Doctor Who viewers are willing to accept a lot of things—fascist pepperpots, farting skinsuit aliens, children-kidnapping goblins with Christmas number 1 ambitions, the existence of travel in time and space in general. But some of them just couldn’t deal with a singular trans character appearing in recent episodes. To which, the BBC says: tough, you’ve gotta deal with it anyway.

It was reported last month that the broadcaster received 144 complaints about the first of the three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials, “The Star Beast,” with Deadline noting that the complaints specifically accused the BBC of the “anti-male,” “inappropriate inclusion” of a transgender character in the story: Rose Noble, played by Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney, the daughter of Catherine Tate’s returning companion Donna. Rose is shown as having been supported by her wider family in transitioning, while still facing transphobic bullying from other kids at school. A supporting character in the story, her trans identity becomes an important factor in the resolution of the plot, as well as a culmination of story threads from Donna’s initial exit from Doctor Who back in the 2008 episode “Journey’s End.” It’s unclear what exactly was deemed “inappropriate” by complaints, beyond Rose’s very existence.

It has to be stressed that this number of complaints represent an incredibly small fraction of Doctor Who’s audience: 7.6 million people watched “The Star Beast” within the first week of its broadcast in the UK, making it one of the most-watched shows in the country that week as well as one of the most-viewed and best-received episodes of the show in several years. For the most part, that audience then stuck around, and, would you believe it, Doctor Who was not immediately ruined forever for including a trans teen. They’re still making it, even!

In spite of this statistical blip in reactions, the BBC has to offer a formal public response to complaints which have either “generated significant numbers of complaints or raised significant issues” with its programming, and has now, a month later, done so in response to Rose’s inclusion in Doctor Who. “As regular viewers of Doctor Who will be aware,” the BBC’s response begins, “the show has and will always continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in. We are always mindful of the content within our episodes.”

It’s about as politely dismissive as the broadcaster can get, but dismissive enough: Doctor Who is not going to change showing the full spectrum of humanity wherever it can. It’s certainly less blunt than returning showrunner Russell T. Davies put it during a press conference for the show last month:

“[There are] newspapers of absolute hate, and venom, and destruction, and violence who would rather see that sort of thing wiped off the screen destroyed,” the showrunner said of recent increasing attacks on trans representation in media and trans livelihoods at large in the UK. “Shame on you, and good luck to you in your lonely lives.”


Want more entertainment news? Check out when to expect the latest MarvelStar Wars, and DC releaseswhat’s coming to cinemas in Australia this year, and everything streaming this month across all platforms. Check out our dedicated Entertainment tab for more.

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
Global wealth and VC funding thumbnail

Global wealth and VC funding

This article was contributed to TechCabal by Uzorchukwu Mbamalu Economic markets and government policies affect global wealth distribution. Major world powers like the US, China, and Japan are heavily involved in making some of the key policies that affect the law of demand and supply and, extensively, global wealth distribution. One such entity is the
Read More
เตรียมพบกับ OnePlus 3.3 Big Brand Sale ลดสูงสุด 50% พร้อมโค้ดลดสูงสุด 600.- thumbnail

เตรียมพบกับ OnePlus 3.3 Big Brand Sale ลดสูงสุด 50% พร้อมโค้ดลดสูงสุด 600.-

ช้อปส่งท้ายเดือนกับ OnePlus ขนทัพสมาร์ทโฟนและอุปกรณ์เสริมสุดฮิตมาให้คุณได้เป็นเจ้าของกันแล้วกับแคมเปญพิเศษ  Shopee Smartphone Expo, Lazada Payday และ เตรียมตัวพบแคมเปญใหญ่ประจำเดือน ในวันที่ 3 มีนาคม กับ 3.3 Big Brand Sale ลดแรงสูงสุด 50%  พร้อมคูปองส่วนลดเพิ่มสูงสุด 600.-  ของสมนาคุณอีกมากมายสำหรับทุกออเดอร์และทุกการสั่งซื้อ จัดจำหน่ายช่องทางออนไลน์ Shopee และ Lazada ห้ามพลาดโดยเด็ดขาด!! OnePlus 3.3 Big Brands Sale ลดกระหน่ำสูงสุด 50% พร้อมคูปองลดเพิ่มสูงสุด 600 .- พร้อมผ่อน 0% 10 เดือนแบบชิล ๆ และยังมีแจกของสมนาคุณอีกมากมาย สำหรับทุกออเดอร์ และทุกการสั่งซื้อ มูลค่ากว่า 5,270.-  ใครกำลังมองหาสมาร์ทโฟนใหม่ สุดคุ้ม สเปกครบครัน อยากเปลี่ยนเครื่องต้องมาจัดเลย วันที่ 3 มีนาคม 2565 วันเดียวเท่านั้น !!! รับโปรโมชั่นสุดคุ้มทันที เมื่อกดติดตาม OnePlus official store ทั้งสี่ช่องทางออนไลน์ ช้อปเลยที่ Shopee > https://bit.ly/3vbiqEf ช้อปเลยที่ Lazada > https://bit.ly/3sZ9rmQ ช้อปเลยที่ JD Central…
Read More
Amazon is reportedly making a smart fridge that monitors buying patterns thumbnail

Amazon is reportedly making a smart fridge that monitors buying patterns

The e-commerce giant has apparently been working on it for two years Amazon might be producing its own “smart fridge,” according to Insider. Codenamed “Project Pulse,” the appliance will use cameras and computer vision to track inventory and purchase habits, analyze this data and deliver products based on what it thinks you need. Per Insider, the fridge…
Read More
iOS 18 Lock Screen controls and changing wallpaper complexity thumbnail

iOS 18 Lock Screen controls and changing wallpaper complexity

Here’s some feedback I’d like to put on Apple’s radar. Lock Screen customization is awesome, especially with new iPhone control options in iOS 18, but sometimes I just want to change my wallpaper. Trying out a new wallpaper has been rather complex since iOS gained Lock Screen customization, widgets, and now controls. Here’s the thing
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share