The BBC has received complaints after the inclusion of a transgender character in Doctor Who (Picture: BBC Studios/ Bad Wolf/ Disney)
Some Doctor Who fans have complained to the BBC over the ‘inappropriate’ and ‘anti-male’ inclusion of a transgender character on a recent episode.
Last month the first in a series of three specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Doctor and his companion Donna Noble hit screens.
The pair were reunited after originally starring in the franchise for four seasons between 2005 and 2010.
In the episode, titled The Star Beast, viewers were also introduced to Donna’s daughter Rose, played by Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney.
While many fans of the long-running programme praised showrunner Russell T. Davies for the inclusion of Rose, who is transgender, and her associated storyline, some took issue and complained to the national broadcaster.
The BBC has now revealed it received 144 complaints from viewers, whose main issue with the episode was it being ‘anti-male’ and having an ‘inappropriate inclusion of a transgender character’.
Rose Noble was played by actress Yasmin Finney (Picture: Alistair Heap/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
However, these numbers made up a tiny proportion of the audience who tuned in, with more than 7.6 million people watching the episode.
Ahead of it hitting screens, Russell anticipated backlash and said he knew there were some people ‘full of absolute hate, and venom, and destruction and violence who would like to see that sort of thing wiped off the screen entirely’.
Addressing those who held those ideals, he declared at a press event before the episode’s release: ‘Shame on you and good luck to you in your lonely lives.’
The final of three specials starring David Tennant airs this weekend (Picture: BBC Studios)
The episode also saw the introduction of Meep (played by Miriam Margolyes) who corrected the Doctor when they automatically assume the extraterrestrial’s pronouns, and instead informed they just used the definite article, the Meep.
Later on in the episode, the Doctor also revealed their gender identity, saying they were ‘male and female and neither and more.’
Soon after tuning in one fan wrote on social media that they were ‘in tears as Russell T. Davies eviscerates the concept of binary gender’.
Someone else shared on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Okay that Doctor Who, slay. The non-binary representation on BBC on was so wonderful to see in a time of such hatred from both the government and larger society towards the LGBTQIA+ community! Thank you Doctor Who.’
Showrunner Russell T. Davies previously slammed anyone criticising the character (Picture: Dave Benett/ Getty Images)
Russell also previously said that homophobia and transphobia happened when it was something ‘you’ve never seen before’.
‘You can temper that reaction and change it when you introduce these images to people happily and normally and calmly when they’re young. Then it just becomes normal.’
Meanwhile David was recently seen sporting a Tardis pin badge in the colours of the transgender flag during several recent TV appearances.
Asked about the badge, the proceeds from which go to LGBT+ homeless charity the Albert Kennedy Trust, he told Attitude: ‘It’s just something that I think is rather lovely and important and suits what Doctor Who is all about.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted BBC and representatives for Russell T. Davies for comment.
The final Doctor Who special, The Giggle, airs on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.
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It came after many fans praised the episode.