{"id":14008,"date":"2022-04-17T21:20:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-17T19:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1628209"},"modified":"2022-04-17T21:33:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-17T19:33:08","slug":"doctor-who-finally-addressed-the-river-song-elephant-in-the-tardis","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-finally-addressed-the-river-song-elephant-in-the-tardis\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who finally addressed the River Song elephant in the TARDIS"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Huw Fullerton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 17 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

When Jodie Whittaker was cast as Doctor Who<\/a>\u2019s new Time Lord in 2017, fans wondered how the series might grapple with the time-travelling hero\u2019s gender shift. The answer, as it turned out, was \u201cnot much\u201d \u2013 beyond one interesting sexism storyline in 2018\u2019s The Witchfinders and the odd reference here and there, the Doctor\u2019s big change hasn\u2019t really factored into the series.<\/p>\n

In most respects, this is totally appropriate \u2013 why would things change just because of the Doctor\u2019s gender? \u2013 but in other ways, the sci-fi drama has avoided what could be some fun and entertaining storylines. Case in point: it feels like a shame we\u2019ve never seen Jodie Whittaker\u2019s Doctor share the screen with Alex Kingston\u2019s River Song, the Doctor\u2019s sometime wife and companion who appeared regularly alongside the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors from 2008 to 2015.<\/p>

Both actors have expressed an openness to it, the fans would love it and it\u2019s ripe for drama. Obviously, River would take the Doctor\u2019s female form in stride \u2013 she\u2019s mentioned having wives before \u2013 but how would lovelorn Yaz (Mandip Gill) feel about the revelation that the Doctor married a woman long ago and never mentioned it? And would the Doctor feel differently about River now than she did in her earlier incarnations?<\/p>\n

Sadly, none of this has been explored, including the Doctor\u2019s sexuality in general (Whittaker has had remarkably fewer romantic stories than the modern male Doctors) \u2013 until now. In new Easter special Legend of the Sea Devils<\/a>, the Doctor finally acknowledges River\u2019s existence, when explaining to Yaz why she can\u2019t begin a romantic relationship with her<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was going to, believe me, it\u2019d be with you,\u201d the Doctor tells Yaz. \u201cI think you\u2019re one of the greatest people that I\u2019ve ever known \u2013 including my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Yaz (Mandip Gill) and the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) in Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC Studios\/James Pardon<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Bizarrely, Yaz doesn\u2019t really pick up on this, and the moment is moved past quickly. Maybe we\u2019re to assume they\u2019ve discussed River off-camera; more likely, it\u2019s more of a nod for fans than something to take seriously. But in finally acknowledging that the Doctor has been in a relationship with a woman before, the series at least gestures towards some of the ideas that could have been explored throughout Whittaker\u2019s era.<\/p>\n

What is gender and sexuality for a race of aliens who can constantly change their bodies and appearances? What is romance for a time-traveller who lives forever? And what challenges and different experiences might the Doctor face as a woman that her male selves never had to worry about?<\/p>\n

It seems clear now that this era of Doctor Who doesn\u2019t have much interest in confronting these questions. Though who knows? With one episode for Whittaker still to come this autumn, maybe River could drop in and rile things up for the Doctor (and Yaz) one last time\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more about Doctor Who:<\/strong><\/p>\n