Peter Davison shows us how to respectfully show opinion

LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 23: (Photo by Dan Dennison/Getty Images)

Peter Davison has been quiet on the change in Doctor Who history, but he still comes out respectful when talking a difference of opinion between himself and Colin Baker.

Earlier today, we posted our four favourite Doctor Who cast reactions, which extended from over the top from John Barrowman to a rather diplomatic answer from Peter Davison. While other Doctors and companions have been quick to support the change, the Fifth Doctor was quiet on Twitter regarding the matter.

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During a panel at Comic Con on Thursday, Peter Davison talked about his opinion of the thirteenth Doctor. And his opinion echoed a lot of what we’ve been hearing from fans. He had nothing bad to say about Whittaker or her qualifications for the job, nor did he say anything rude about a female Doctor at all. He also asked everyone to keep an open mind

He said what he first said on Twitter, which was that he was ambivalent on the subject, something that many Classic Who fans are feeling. Many of them don’t doubt that Whittaker is a good actress, but are worried for the future of the fans.

However, as anyone, he did admit some doubts. And they’re valid. According to Huffington Post,

"“If I feel any doubts, it’s the loss of a role model for boys, who I think Doctor Who is vitally important for,” the fifth Doctor said. “So I feel a bit sad about that, but I understand the argument that you need to open it up.”Davison admitted that he is an “old fashioned dinosaur,” after making it clear that he “kind of like[s] the idea of the Doctor as a boy.”"

Colin Baker was quick to challenge Davison’s ideas, but let’s take a minute and talk about Davison.

Is he wrong?

Absolutely not! What we’ve been trying to do here at Doctor Who Watch is simply post facts about the thirteenth Doctor. We’re not going to ignore anything — good or bad. And we definitely do not want anyone to feel that we’re trying to sway anyone’s opinion.

While it might be surprising to hear Davison come out ambivalent when the support has been strong from the previous cast, let’s focus on how he said it.

He was not rude about it. He simply stated his opinion. He stated a rather interesting opinion. What does this do for fathers and sons who have watched Doctor Who for fifty years? While Hollywood and the show business, in general, want to bring women to the front (and it’s a welcoming change), it’s still a change. And some people are, for better or worse, Classic fans and like the Classic way.

Here’s what Davison didn’t do:

He didn’t go off the cuff and say sexist things about the Doctor’s parking, period, or PMS.
He didn’t say he would never watch Doctor Who again simply because of a change.
He didn’t say he wouldn’t give it a chance.

If anything Davison came out in a very respectful way and shared his worries. Which we all have. Whether it’s ratings, polarising the fans, or whether this will lead to a possible cancellation, we need more fans to act like this.

Next: Our four favorite cast reactions to the thirteenth Doctor

If you prefer a man, that’s everyone’s right. We don’t all have to agree. But it is important to listen to everyone’s opinion. People who are strongly for a woman can listen to people who are strongly for a man. The conversation written about in the Post article shows two adult people talking differently without spewing hate.

That’s what we need in the fandom today.

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