{"id":52792,"date":"2024-06-06T17:24:55","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T15:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2052733"},"modified":"2024-06-06T18:04:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T16:04:36","slug":"peter-davison-doctor-who-has-always-been-liberal-and-progressive","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/peter-davison-doctor-who-has-always-been-liberal-and-progressive\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter Davison: \u201cDoctor Who has always been liberal and progressive\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Davison said the programme has always been progressive, but that it “never announced that that was what it was doing”. <\/p>

By James Hibbs\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 06 June 2024 at 15:24 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Fifth Doctor star Peter Davison has offered his thoughts on some recent criticism of Doctor Who<\/a>\u2018s political messaging, saying that the show has always been \u201cliberal and progressive\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph<\/a>, Davison admitted he hasn\u2019t recently watched the show, but said he is aware of the criticism.<\/p>\n

He responded, saying: \u201cDoctor Who was always liberal and progressive. It would have a go at corporations, at the arms race, whatever. But the point was: it never announced that that was what it was doing. As soon as you do that, it changes the optics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The debate around the show\u2019s politics isn\u2019t new \u2013 in 2019, Seventh Doctor star Sylvester McCoy<\/a> said that the series\u2019 addressing of political issues was what drew him to it in the first place.<\/p>\n

\"Peter\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Peter Davison.<\/span><\/figcaption> David M. Benett\/Dave Benett\/Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

McCoy told RadioTimes.com<\/a>: \u201cWhen I watched Patrick Troughton all those years ago, you know, when the BBC was \u2018Auntie BBC\u2019 and it was a bit straight-laced, Doctor Who was definitely not of that ilk, and it was slightly rebellious. It was part of the swinging \u201860s philosophy of life. And that\u2019s what I loved. I was 20-odd, so that\u2019s what attracted me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current season of Doctor Who has addressed a number of social issues, from the debate surrounding reproductive rights in Space Babies<\/a> to populist politicians in 73 Yards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in his interview with The Telegraph, Davison also claimed he was previously \u201cmisquoted<\/a>\u201d when he appeared to express doubts about the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, citing a possible \u201closs of a role model for boys\u201d.<\/p>

He explained: \u201cMy point was that the Doctor is a Don Quixote-type figure who rides into situations and the character who always puts him right is his female companion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you reverse that, you\u2019ve got the difficult dynamic of a man telling a woman what she can and cannot do. But I do also think the Doctor is a good role model because he is a hero who isn\u2019t beating the s**t out of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b><\/p>\n