‘Doctor Who’ Has Always Been Trans, The Specials Just Spelled It Out

The Doctor Who 60^th anniversary specials have made Who history in more ways than one. Not only did the series usher in Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black actor to play the Doctor — but the series made strides in trans representation overdue for decades.

*spoilers ahead for the Doctor Who 60^th anniversary specials*

Doctor Who’s protagonist, aka the Doctor, has always been trans-coded. Since the show’s first season in 1963, whenever the Doctor’s life is in danger, they completely change their look in a process called regeneration. Originally, regeneration was devised as an excuse to change lead actors without having to scrap the show. But, in the decades since, who plays the Doctor has set the tone of the series and become an event in its own right. The Doctor can look like anyone or anything, although for a very long time the Doctor was portrayed exclusively by white men.

Prior to the 60^th anniversary specials, actress Jodie Whittaker had portrayed the Doctor since 2016. It was the first time a woman had portrayed the Doctor in the main series. For many gender-diverse fans, Whittaker’s casting was an affirmation of the Doctor’s inherent transness. But beyond jokes about gender confusion, meaningful engagement with the Doctor’s trans subtext was never managed during Whittaker’s era.

But in his trio of 60^th anniversary specials, returning openly gay showrunner Russell T Davies endowed the trilogy with explicit reference to both the Doctor’s complex relationship to gender, and groundbreaking trans representation for the series.

‘The Star Beast’ saw David Tennant reprise his role as the Doctor, but this was no reset and forget job as other regenerations have been. Within the first few minutes, the Doctor referenced the strangeness of being in a male body after being a woman, expressing annoyance that his psychic ID hadn’t “caught up” to the change (a sentiment shared by anyone who’s had to change their gender marker on any document).

Upon meeting the episode’s antagonist, an alien known as ‘the Meep’, the Doctor asks the Meep for their pronouns. When the Meep explains that, regardless of appearance, they refer to themselves as the definitive article of ‘the Meep,’ the Doctor responds, “I do that too”.

After 60 years of seasons with little to no engagement with how the Doctor views their gender, to have the Doctor discussing their preferred pronoun is huge. It finally brings the character’s inherent gender queerness out of the shunned realms of fan subtext and makes it an explicit part of the story.

But the trans representation of the 60^th anniversary did not start and stop with the Doctor. Heartstopper actress, Yasmin Finney stars as Rose, returning companion Donna Noble’s (Catherine Tate) trans teen daughter. In the opening scenes, Rose deals with transphobia around her neighbourhood, which her family fiercely defends her from. Finney, who is proudly trans herself, instantly dazzles. Many fans, myself included, are already calling for her to be a companion in a future series.

Beyond the mere presence of a trans actor and trans-inclusive scenes, ‘The Star Beast’ climaxed with Rose and the Doctor’s transness being framed as a strength. Donna’s tenure as a companion tragically ended when her consciousness melded with the Doctor’s and the Doctor was forced to wipe her memory so her mind wouldn’t burn up from carrying the Doctor’s alien consciousness. But ‘The Star Beast’ sees Donna able to share the weight of the Doctor’s consciousness with Rose because both Rose and the Doctor share a non-binary gender. It’s not just that Donna had a child, but that Rose’s gender non-conformity is a reflection of the Doctor’s own, and in turn empowers Rose with the Doctor’s knowledge and abilities. Basically, the episode frames being trans as a super power.

The current state of trans rights in the UK is far from such affirming ideals. Gender diverse people in the UK are in increasing danger from the rise of anti-trans rhetoric and policies. According to a report released by Ipsos, the UK is among the least LGBTQI+-friendly countries in the world. An independent UN expert on LGBTQI+ rights also raised concerns with the British government earlier this year on the decline of LGBTQIA+ rights and freedoms. Not even Doctor Who can escape the rise of transphobia in the British public, with the BBC receiving over 100 complaints about Yasmin Finney’s presence.

For six decades, Doctor Who has been a staple of British pop culture, reflecting the country’s best and worst elements. For such a quintessentially British series to center trans affirming storytelling in the current climate of anti-trans rhetoric in the UK is a welcome and radical act. Sci-Fi at its best has always been a genre of radical imagination, of showing the futures we hope to make. Overdue it may be, but Doctor Who championing queer lives and ideas in its main stories is worth celebrating, and the most heartwarming way to celebrate 60 years on TV.