Doctor Who Cares About White Men?

Doctor Who Was Never Made For White Men

Doctor Who has been the topic of much internet debate for quite some time. While I never got into the series myself, I know it formed part of many people’s childhoods. The show has a long history that stretches over many decades, and its longevity is remarkable. However, over the last few years, the popularity of Doctor Who has started to dwindle. Not only has the quality of certain seasons dropped significantly, but showrunners have decided to involve themselves in identity politics.

Conversations about the show being too white started about ten years ago. That quickly shifted to the show having too many men and then straight people. At face value, wanting to include a more diverse cast is not the worst thing. However, like with most things, some always want to take things to the extreme. If showrunners want a female lead, a gay lead, or a black lead, they have the right to do that. Fans then have the right to decide if they want to watch or not.

If the quality of Doctor Who drops, fans can turn away. Now, I understand that things are not always as easy as I explained. If a show you love is slowly being destroyed by a crop of new writers who have no respect for the IP, it is natural for fans to get upset. Telling those people to walk away is not that easy. People form strong bonds with shows, and it is hard to see something that you love getting destroyed. It should be added that simply including a more diverse cast is not destroying something.

Doctor Who is Not For White Men

This brings us to the news of the brand new Doctor Who. 2017, the show made a massive breakthrough when they named Jodie Whittaker as the titled character. This marked the first shift as a woman was now finally the front face of the series. It should be noted that by this point, the show was already in a downward spiral. Most agree that she is a great actress, but the story falls flat. As a result, it suffered horrible TV ratings, bringing in only 2.6 million viewers.

To make matters worse, they reverted back to a male doctor, which upset even more people. Now, those who complained about them casting a white man as the successor to Jodie should not be taken seriously. They are just diversity activist who always complain to grab headlines. And do not worry; the irony is not lost on me. I know I do the same. My channel is dedicated to complaining. Regardless, Doctor Who proceeded and made what many felt was an overcorrection. They cased a Black Queer man as the doctor.

Once again, simply casting Ncuti Gatwa in the role is fine. If that is the direction that the show wants to go in, then they should be free to do so. Unfortunately, some always have to take it a step further. For this, don’t just blame the show but also those who cover the show. This brings me to Metro and their article titled, Sorry, straight white men, Doctor Who was never made just for you.

Context and Conclusion

First, I will admit that the article has been taken out of context. Some are covering it as if the writer said that the show is not for Straight White Men. However, the word only is very important here. The writer is trying to make the point that White Men are upset about the casting of queer black men and that the show was never just meant for them. It is for people of all sexes, races, and sexual orientations.

Even though I have provided that context, I disagree with how the article is framed. They are trying to insinuate that it is only straight white men who have a problem with the show, and the only reason why is due to the casting choice. Most people are turned away due to the poor quality. This is a common thing that happens. These writers took a show that used to be good and turned it into a disaster that made people leave. They then do a race or sex swap, and the ratings continue to decline. When people then start to complain, they call the people sexist or racist.

In the process, they also disadvantage the people they claim they want to represent. If you want to highlight Women and Black Men as part of this universe, the best thing you can do is write a great story. Poor writing and storytelling will only lead to a decline in viewership. Then, involving yourself in identity politics instead of focusing on the story will further decline the viewer base. The casting choices are not the main issue with the show. It is how they choose to write the characters that most people have a problem with. Unless they fix this issue, the show will decline and sadly die.