The showrunner asked writer and podcast host Juno Dawson about the scene.
Russell T Davies has opened up about the decision to use the deadname of trans character Rose Noble in Doctor Who‘s The Star Beast.
The first 60th anniversary special introduced Rose, played by Yasmin Finney, as the daughter of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). The episode includes various references to Rose being transgender, including a conversation about pronouns, and showing her grandmother Sylvia (played by Jacqueline King) attempting to get to grips with how to refer to her.
At one point, Rose is seen being called by her deadname by a group of bullies. Deadnaming is the act of referring to a transgender or non-binary person by the name they used prior to transitioning or coming out and, in this case, is shown to be a malicious attempt to undermine Rose’s identity.
Speaking on the Official Doctor Who Podcast, Russell T Davies explained: “Rose, at one point, is deadnamed in the street by some kids calling her by her deadname, which is Jason.
“The interesting thing about Jason is actually it means ‘Healer’ or ‘Doctor’ which means that Donna actually named her child after the Doctor, without realising it, subconsciously, which was a nice fact in there.
“To get that across and to get the prejudice that’s being shown towards Rose by those bullies and thugs in the street, we actually have to have a scene of deadnaming.”
He then asked Juno Dawson, co-host of the podcast and writer of Doctor Who: Redacted: “Is that a good thing to do? Is that a wise thing to do? Is that a difficult thing to do? I personally think we should stare into difficult stuff like this but equally what a nice easy life I’ve got and I’m ready to be told otherwise, so what do you think?”
Dawson said: “I feel that it is important to show the lived reality of trans people. Rose is played by an amazing trans actor, Yasmin Finney from Heartstopper, and it happens.
“The important thing here is that the characters who misgender Rose aren’t presented as aspirational characters. I think it’s important how upset, if stoic, Rose is, how it really upsets Donna, and I think that’s important. To my mind, as a trans person and as a writer, there is no point in trying to sugar the pill – trans people face transphobia.
“It felt accurate and honest to me that Rose is misgendered. It felt honest and right that Sylvia sometimes struggles with pronouns because she’s learning, because she understood her grandchild was one thing and then Rose chose a different life for herself. For me, I thought that scene was quite important and it felt honest.”
Previously speaking about Finney’s casting at the premiere of The Star Beast, Davies explained: “It’s not just a Doctor Who thing for me, it’s something I and a lot of other writers are very keen to do, to be progressive and to just reflect more of society.
“And it’s funny, in casting Yasmin, there’s very few people we could have cast, and it’s like a light came down from heaven and there she was – before Heartstopper, actually.
“It was just so powerfully meant to be, and I think she does the most amazing job and it’s an absolute privilege to work with her to get her on screen.”
Read more:
- Does Doctor Who’s The Star Beast set up a Ncuti Gatwa era villain?
- Doctor Who debuts enigmatic trailer for next episode Wild Blue Yonder
Doctor Who continues next Saturday (2nd December) at 6:30pm on BBC One. Previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.