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Doctor Who gets first openly gay companion

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A

Alienfan

Member
Bill Potts's sexuality will be revealed pretty much straightaway in her second line of dialogue when the show returns to BBC One on 15 April.
"It shouldn't be a big deal in the 21st Century. It's about time isn't it?" Pearl Mackie, who plays Bill, told the BBC.
"That representation is important, especially on a mainstream show."
She added: "It's important to say people are gay, people are black - there are also aliens in the world as well so watch out for them.
"I remember watching TV as a young mixed race girl not seeing many people who looked like me, so I think being able to visually recognise yourself on screen is important."
"[Being gay] is not the main thing that defines her character - it's something that's part of her and something that she's very happy and very comfortable with."
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Gay and bisexual characters have featured in Doctor Who before, such as Captain Jack and River Song, but this is the first time the Doctor's permanent companion has been openly gay. Although Captain Jack - played by John Barrowman - travelled with the Doctor for a number of episodes, he was not a full-time companion in the traditional sense.
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http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39444025

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I think this might be a really good season
 
P

Patryn

Member
So we're not counting Jack as an official companion? Although I guess he was technically omnisexual...
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
Although Captain Jack - played by John Barrowman - travelled with the Doctor for a number of episodes, he was not a full-time companion in the traditional sense.
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That qualification so that they can make this a "first" announcement. Either way, at least this confirms that the companion won't be swooning after the Doctor, which has become an ongoing thing with the modern Doctor. Well, until the Doctor regenerates into a woman.
 
S

SpaceWolf

Banned
Great.

Now give us a singular companion who isn't an attractive (usually young) British woman from the modern era.
 
R

_Rob_

Member
Fuck, I miss Torchwood.

SpaceWolf said:
Great.

Now give us a singular companion who isn't an attractive (usually young) British woman from the modern era.
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Yeah, I wanna see a Victorian Chimney Sweep, or a middle ages blacksmith or something. I wonder why The Doctor likes the 21st century so much.
 
M

Mr-Joker

Banned
Cool I guess, doesn't really bother me.

Though I can't wait to watch the next season.

Gay and bisexual characters have featured in Doctor Who before, such as Captain Jack and River Song
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Did I miss something but when was River Song stated to be Gay or bisexual?
 
S

Subpar Scrub

Banned
_Rob_ said:
Yeah, I wanna see a Victorian Chimney Sweep, or a middle ages blacksmith or something. I wonder why The Doctor likes the 21st century so much.
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I don't watch doctor who, but wouldn't both of those two characters be annoying as fuck? Like, "HOLY SHIT WHATS THAT WITCHCRAFT" every 40 seconds? Idk, maybe the current secondary characters are like that, I just assume that someone from the 21st century, who has a decent idea on how science, technology and such works, including a somewhat more open mind to aliens thanks to pop-culture, would be more ideal.
 
M

mclem

Member
Mr-Joker said:
Did I miss something but when was River Song stated to be Gay or bisexual?
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I think it's buried in one of her quick one-liners about escaping from prison. Something like that.

She never really demonstrated it as far as I can recall, unlike Jack.
 
M

Mr-Joker

Banned
_Rob_ said:
Yeah, I wanna see a Victorian Chimney Sweep, or a middle ages blacksmith or something. I wonder why The Doctor likes the 21st century so much.
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Because companion are suppose to represent the modern viewers and know just as much as the viewer does.

Granted that can still work with different eras but it's easier with the modern era as you don't have to mess about with getting the actress to wear a period costume so the viewers can see straight away that the companions are from their era.
 
B

Boem

Member
Proteus said:
That qualification so that they can make this a "first" announcement. Either way, at least this confirms that the companion won't be swooning after the Doctor, which has become an ongoing thing with the modern Doctor. Well, until the Doctor regenerates into a woman.
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The 'companion falling in love with the Doctor' idea creeps me out as well, but it hasn't really been an issue with Capaldi at all.

Mr-Joker said:
Cool I guess, doesn't really bother me.

Though I can't wait to watch the next season.



Did I miss something but when was River Song stated to be Gay or bisexual?
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River has made many comments about dating/marrying women over the years. Cleopatra was one of them at least. Same thing with Clara actually, the future Dalek version talked about it at one point, and modern regular Clara made out with Jane Austen once.
 
T

Transhuman

Unconfirmed Member
What exactly does "Doctor Who companion" mean? Does the Doctor Who have sex with them or something
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
Transhuman said:
What exactly does "Doctor Who companion" mean? Does the Doctor Who have sex with them or something
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I think it used to strictly mean anyone who has travelled in the TARDIS with the Doctor for even a small period of time. With the new series that has gotten a lot more complicated.

I would consider Captain Jack a companion.
 
R

_Rob_

Member
Mr-Joker said:
Because companion are suppose to represent the modern viewers and know just as much as the viewer does.

Granted that can still work with different eras but it's easier with the modern era as you don't have to mess about with getting the actress to wear a period costume so the viewers can see straight away that the companions are from their era.
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That makes sense. Out of interest, is there some sort of in-universe explanation for it? (For context I haven't seen many episodes since Tennant left).
 
B

Boem

Member
Transhuman said:
What exactly does "Doctor Who companion" mean? Does the Doctor Who have sex with them or something
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Eh. No.

It's just what the co lead of Doctor Who has been called since the 60s. Just a friend who travels with him.

With Eccleston, Smith and especially Tennant they added some romantic nonsense here and there, but luckily they lost that with the current Doctor. Way too weird.
 
B

BatDan

Bane? Get them on board, I'll call it in.
I can see this mattering as much as LeFou in Beauty and the Beast, in that it doesn't matter at all.

And again, Jack Harkness. I know, not a full-time companion but he was still there.

Transhuman said:
What exactly does "Doctor Who companion" mean? Does the Doctor Who have sex with them or something
Click to expand...

Drive-by shitposting is fun!
 
M

Manmademan

Member
Transhuman said:
What exactly does "Doctor Who companion" mean? Does the Doctor Who have sex with them or something
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A companion is a series regular in every episode (up until the point they're replaced for plot reasons) that travels with the doctor. Most of them aren't romantic interests, there's only two I can think of that really fall into that category.

There's sometimes a lot of will they won't they innuendo though.
 
B

Boem

Member
BatDan said:
I can see this mattering as much as LeFou in Beauty and the Beast, in that it doesn't matter at all.
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One thing you can't fault the BBC for is that they actually allow people to talk about being gay in programs that are technically aimed at kids. In a Disney movie like Beauty and the Beast all it can be is an undertone, without the movie actually acknowledging it. Disney is still stuck in the past that way, can't have that kind of 'controversy'.

Like the actress said, it won't be her defining characteristic, as it shouldn't be. It's just a part of who she is. But at least they can openly talk about it on the show - Doctor Who has included many different sexual orientations in the past and never shied away from openly talking about it. Different thing compared to Beauty and the Beast imo.
 
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