The RTD of Doctor Who approved the ground-breaking time Lord Romance.
Writer Kate Herron details how showrunner Russell T Davies approved the Fifteenth Doctor's brief Regency romance with bounty hunter Rogue in Doctor Who season 14. Together with Briony Redman, the director of Loki season 1 and Sex Education season 1 united to create an adventure whereby the Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa) and companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) came upon a race of shapeshifting aliens at a 19th century ball. Originally at conflict, Rogue (Jonathan Groff) and the Doctor were finally able to open up to one another and have amorous moments in Doctor Who season 14 episode 6.
In the current episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed, Herron and Redman discussed how they presented their concept for the Doctor's blossoming relationship. Davies immediately agreed of Herron and Redman's premise, wanting a queer relationship from the start, and the two set out to produce a romantic interest who would ideally contrast with the Doctor. Review Herron's entire response below:
The Romance of the Fifteenth Doctor Is a Major Step for Major Franchises and Doctor Who.
Though it is a crucial story, Fifteen and Rogue's romance is far from the first time the Doctor has had a close relationship with someone of the same sex, as evidenced with Nine and Jack Harkness's flirtations and kiss, and the unfulfilled relationship between Th thirteen and Yaz Khan. The Doctor's main love interests—be they one-time or recurring characters—had historically been of the opposite sex. For this reason, the romance between Doctor and Rogue marks a major turning point in Doctor Who's on-screen Lgbtq+ depiction.
Herron also included a gay love story into her time writing for Doctor Who so that she and Davies could address a prevalent criticism of the way big franchises handled Lgbtq+ romance from her time in the MCU. While Herron broke ground for the show and praised Loki and Sylvie as bisexual, many—including Davies—critiqued the brief line as a "feeble gesture," which Herron somewhat agreed with. With "Rogue," the creatives explored the Doctor's sexuality more thoroughly so it would be more than a token gesture.
The New Doctor Whichever
Ncuti Gatwa's first full excursion as the Doctor is Doctor Who season 14, and he is accompanied by an interesting mix of fresh actors and well-known names.
Doctor Who is a sci-fi show following a strong entity known as a Time Lord, called the Doctor. Original debuted in 1963. The Doctor traverses time and space with several companions using an interdimensional time-traveling ship called the TARDIS, helping to solve several issues and try to prevent catastrophe as much as they almost cause. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they undergo regenerations which enables them to be recast every few seasons as a different immortal entity with fresh personality features.
Doctor Whose: An LGBTQ Love Story
From the outset, I said, "Well, look, I love romance. Like, could we create a gay romance? And he [Davies] was like "Absolutely." Thus, then, I believe that the heart of the narrative and the center of it for us always was constantly. Ncuti's reading is so extroverted; we were like, "Well let's make them a bit more of an introvert, because that will just be fun, and you know, opposites attract."
Though far from the first gay love story in Doctor Who, the brief relationship between Rogue and Fifteenth Doctor represents a crucial development in terms of how the show treats LGBTQ+ narratives. Among pop culture's most tenacious and venerable sci-fi heroes is the Doctor. The effort of Herron, Redman, and Davies has let his story to touch the hearts of gay viewers who might identify with him via their own life. There might perhaps be more to this friendship yet to come as Rogue asks the Doctor to locate him.
The Future Doctor Who Season
Doctor Who airs fresh episodes on Disney+ for viewers worldwide and BBC iPlayer for those in the UK every Friday simultaneously.
One of the most watched seasons in the franchise is predicted to be this one. The show is definitely going to draw an even more bigger audience with its outstanding cast and creative staff.
