A beautiful thing happened at Heroes & Villains Fan Fest in New Jersey last weekend. A young fan asked Doctor Who and Torchwood star John Barrowman about the recent announcement a woman will play the 13th Doctor. Before answering the question, Barrowman told the young fan he’d like to hear their opinion first. The fan explained they didn’t understand why the Doctor had to be a woman this time and after assuring the fan their opinion is valid, Barrowman had the best response.
“I wouldn’t go so much into the politics of everything because honestly, I don't think they think that far into it. This is my opinion, not theirs. I think it’s probably about being more inclusive, and to be perfectly honest with you, I know everybody else is not bothered that it’s a man or probably a woman, but it’s a bit about time that we had a girl play the doctor. I know some of you will disagree with me, and that’s okay, but the fact of the matter is Doctor Who was born in an age of misogyny, when men ruled television and also men were deciding what people watched on television and as times changed and the doctors changed there’s nothing in the rulebook of time lords that says he has to be a man, correct? I’ve read the gallifreyan dictionary and I know it's not in there.”
Barrowman went on to explain there have been times in the show’s history where fans were just as outraged. He thinks people will get over it and still watch.
“So it’s just about everybody getting ready to accept this new doctor, number 13. The one thing I do remember, when I was Christopher Eccleston and he was regenerating into David Tennant, who is the best doctor ever, people were upset then, people were angry then. People were saying they were not going to watch again. And we had to go with that and you know what, the thing about Doctor Who is that no matter who the doctor is, we go on board the TARDIS for the journey, and whoever is in that TARDIS -- whether it be Sarah Jane Smith, Captain Jack Harkness, Donna, Rose Tyler, or a doctor 9 10 11 or 12 -- we go on there for the story and the journey because it’s the story that gets political, not the doctor themself. You are completely valid. However, I think it’s awesome that she’s going to be a girl. I think it’s great that she’s good-looking and I would love for Captain Jack to meet the doctor.”
This wasn’t the only question about Doctor Who Barrowman fielded at the convention. Part of the reason fan’s love Barrowman’s panels, dubbed “Anything Goes,” is because he is not shy about giving his opinion. He’s known to do wild crazy things on stage, like make penis joke after penis joke, even to a crowd of children.
Humor aside, Barrowman is very articulate about important subjects, especially when it comes to representation on television. So when a fan asked him about the impact of Captain Jack’s sexuality, he had another great answer.
“Never before had we seen a character who was unapologetic about who he was to anybody. When he kissed the doctor, the one thing I discussed with Russell [Davis, executive producer] when we did it, I said, ‘However you shoot it, I want it to be exactly the same.’ It’s got to be the same amount of intimacy for both of them, because I want to show the normality of kissing both a man and a woman. Whether you are a man or a woman that you can love somebody equally, no matter what their gender is.”
Do Barrowman’s comments resonate with you? Let us know in the comments.
