By Movieguide® Contributor
DOCTOR WHO’s cast and crew are responding to people who have complained about the show’s “woke” elements.
“I’d just watch the show for what it is,” star Millie Gibson said in a recent interview with The Standard.
She pointed to a past episode where characters go back in time and meet Shakespeare. One of the characters makes a joke about the noted playwright being “quite hot,” which Gibson said is just “what [DOCTOR] WHO does.”
“I think because [of] the way the world is, they’re making jabs at anything that’s relating to this,” the actress continued. “It’s not really necessary. The show is so pure and beautiful and is literally about two best friends traveling the universe, so just watch it and get over it somewhat!”
Showrunner Russell T. Davies made similar comments, telling BBC Radio 2, “Someone always brings up matters of diversity. 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]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door.”
DOCTOR WHO’s cast and crew might be brushing off these comments, but over the last few years, the popular sci-fi show’s ratings have taken a major dip. The show’s 2024 season finale brought in just 2.25 million viewers — the lowest number in DOCTOR WHO’s history.
Related: Was DOCTOR WHO a Bust for Disney?
Other episodes had equally low viewing numbers. After an episode in the 2024 season featured drag queens and scenes set in a gay nightclub, ratings dipped again — Episode 3 had 2.04 million viewers, while Episode 7 earned just 2.02 million.
There have also been many transgender and nonbinary characters introduced in recent episodes, which have led to complaints from the Family Education Trust that DOCTOR WHO is “promoting the cult of gender ideology.”
“The whole episode is dedicated to promoting the cult of gender ideology. Many vulnerable children watch DR WHO [sic] — this is dreadful propaganda from the BBC yet again,” the Trust posted on X, per the Daily Mail.
Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the titular Doctor, had a message for people who object to some of the content being shown in recent episodes of DOCTOR WHO.
“Don’t watch. Turn off the TV. Go and touch grass, please, for God’s sake,” he told Variety.
Based on DOCTOR WHO’s recent ratings, it looks like many are taking Gatwa’s advice — a reminder that family-friendly content will always win with audiences.
Read Next: How Woke Ideology Is Becoming a False Religion
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