The return of Doctor Who proved to be just what the… errr… doctor ordered for fans tuning in to watch the show’s first anniversary special over the weekend.
If the excitement around David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s comeback to the franchise wasn’t enough, the special also featured Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney as Donna Noble’s on-screen daughter, Rose, as well as Bafta winner Miriam Margolyes lending her voice to a new alien adversary, The Meep.
And while the reception has been largely glowing for the hour-long episode, there’s one particular scene that’s unfortunately caused a lot of “debate” from certain critics.
Indeed, the usual suspects have seized the opportunity to focus in on one throwaway scene that saw The Doctor and Rose discussing The Meep’s preferred pronouns, with the latter admonishing the former for making assumptions.
It later transpired that the Meep actually swerves traditional gender pronouns altogether, instead using “the definite article” (”I am always The Meep,” the character noted, to which The Doctor remarked: “I do that, too”).
Since then, certain sections of the media have used the scene as an excuse to claim that Doctor Who has become too *deep sigh* “woke” in its new incarnation – but one Whovian has taken the opportunity to dispel this.
X user @AmysJedi shared a short scene from a Doctor Who episode that first aired in February 1972 – yes, more than 50 years ago – in which The Doctor and his then-companion Jo get into it about a certain alien’s pronouns.
“I’ve said, Doctor Who has always been this way,” one viewer responded, while another enthused: “Doctor Who talking about pronouns in 1972. King.”
Meanwhile, responding to additional parts of the scene, one Whovian pointed out: “The wording has, uh, definitely NOT aged well But Doctor Who has ALWAYS been progressive.”
The second of three Doctor Who specials in honour of the show’s 60th anniversary will air on Saturday night on BBC One.
In the final instalment, the Fourteenth Doctor is set to regenerate once again, after which Ncuti Gatwa will take over at the helm of the Tardis.