Doctor Who showrunner on what queer representation means heading into the new season

Since restarting the Doctor Who franchise in 2005, Russell T Davies has been praised for incorporating queer themes into the show. For instance, there was the Doctor's pansexual companion Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who went on to headline his own show: Torchwood. Davies, a gay man, will bring more queer representation into the show's upcoming fourteenth season, although he doesn't necessarily see it as "representation," per se.

"I think it's my life," Davies told Radio Times. "And I kind of [am] rather bemused when people say you're representing things now, because I think that's just people I live with, and know and love. And it's very normal to me, I don't know any other way to make things. And some people might come along and make a fuss about that. But I've moved on by then, so I don't care."

"But I think it's a great thing to see. I think Doctor Who’s a great big open door for everyone to come and see. Even if you’re straight as a nail, come and watch because there’s lots in this for you."

Under Davies, Doctor Who has always been very queer-friendly; it's featured same-sex couples, trans actors, and a general aesthetic that is welcoming to people from all walks of life. I mean, look at Neil Patrick Harris' villainous character the Toymaker dancing to the Spice Girls while he unwinds reality and tell me it's not super gay, as well as kind of terrifying:

In an age where lawmakers are banning drag shows, attacking trans people, and possibly planning to target already-established rights like gay marriage, it's nice to have a major show on the air that's this openly queer-friendly, run by someone who understands that "representation" means more than meeting a quota. There's some really talented actors out there who will thrill any audience, queer or not. Case in point:

RuPaul's Drag Race allum Jinkx Monsoon will play “the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet”

Most people here probably aren't as obsessed with the reality show RuPaul's Drag Race as I am, so they may not care overmuch about the fact that two-time winner Jinkx Monsoon is joining the cast of Doctor Who this season as a new villain called the Maestro. I'm here to tell you that you should be excited, because Jinkx is very entertaining. I'm really excited to see them chomp scenery opposite Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson.

FYI, Davies confirmed that the Maestro has nothing to do with the Doctor's longtime nemesis the Master. "It’s a completely different pantheon of gods that we’ve introduced,” he said. “I did think when I named them Maestro that there was a chance that that might overlap. It causes speculation, which is fun, but the Master is kind of parked for the moment. There’s been a lot of the Master recently, so it’s time to start again and have a fresh start to the show.”

The new season of Doctor Who will drop two episodes on Disney+ on Friday, May 10 on Disney+. The episodes will air lineally on the BBC the day after.

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