"It's normal": Doctor Who producer addresses casting criticism while praising showrunner Russell T Davies

The producers and creatives of Doctor Who are making it more straightforward than ever that they are not interested in those complaining that the show is "too woke."

In a recent interview with InTouch, executive producer Jane Tranter responded to criticism of the show's diverse cast.

She appreciated showrunner Russell T. Davies for his storytelling and said Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa's casting as Doctors was "simply as it should be." Her stance on the science-fiction show that has gone through multiple reimaginings over six decades seemed like a rebuke to fans stuck in the past.

Whittaker's casting as the first female Doctor and Gatwa's role as the first Black and openly queer Doctor are not at all, in Tranter's opinion, "groundbreaking." Tranter, who has also produced Succession and The Night Of, said that such representation should be standard.

"I like the fact Doctor Who can touch on sensitive issues and do it in an entertaining and engaging way, but that's how Russell T Davies writes. I also don't see the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor or casting Ncuti Gatwa as the first Black Doctor as some bold step in the culture wars. It's simply as it should be. It's normal." she said.

Doctor Who thrives on reinvention

From twists to actual regenerations, the show has always leaned on change. The fan base was rocked by Jodie Whittaker's 2017 debut as the Thirteenth Doctor, with critics pointing out that the Doctor was switching "genders." When Gatwa's casting came to light in 2022, the backlash only got worse, with critics accusing the BBC of being "attention-seekers."

Yet, 32-year-old Gatwa's charm and maturity as the Fifteenth Doctor won over many, making him a fan favorite over his 2023–2025 role.

Now that Billie Piper has returned as the Sixteenth Doctor, as the Disney+ Season 15 finale showed, Tranter's views become relevant. Is it still Doctor Who if their capability to regenerate into an alien form is bound by gender or race?

Davies finds it annoying when "online warriors" use the term "woke."

"What you might call diversity, I just call an open door," the Queer As Folk and It's a Sin creator said in an interview with BBC Radio 2 earlier this year as he brushed criticism aside.

He drives home the series' appeal: if a cast is all the same, their stories that span different eras and places have no meaning.

Davies and Sethu shut down critics

If Davies' honesty weren't enough, Varada Sethu, who plays Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who, has also replied to the negative feedback.

"Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people," she told Radio Times.

"The core of Doctor Who is kindness, love, and doing the right thing."

While Whittaker's seasons drove interest despite mixed reviews, Gatwa's episodes received high Disney+ ratings internationally. Clearly, Doctor Who has remained a cultural success because it grows according to the times.

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