Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies, has suggested that sci-fi is too filled with testosterone, so the show, under his tenure, has gone the other way.

Replying to a comment about Doctor Who showing off its “LGBT side” under Davies’ second era as the programme’s showrunner, Russell said:

“I think it was just like nudging by 1% in that direction. But it’s 2025, and you also have to look at what the others are doing. Science fiction franchises are very straight, very masculine, very testosterone-y. And so that’s where Doctor Who can fill a space.”

As ever, such a quote is enough to make some cheer and others roll their eyes; and others still to get really properly annoyed.

I’m not sure the Doctor calling people “babes” and “honey” is especially LGBT, but it arguably is part of the stereotype, and in that way, it feels damaging. So too the implication that gay people can’t be “masculine” or “testosterone-y”. But heck, that’s what this current stage of identity politics dictates, so instead of questioning it, most people are just expected to fall in line and not push back at stereotypes.

Away from that stereotype, however, the chief way Davies has highlighted the LGBT side of Doctor Who is with the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) having a romantic relationship with Rogue (Jonathan Groff), something that arguably hasn’t been seen before… though the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) did have feelings for her companion, Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill). So credit where it’s due.

Whatever your reaction to Davies’ comments, they are certainly interesting, giving us his view on sci-fi as a wider genre. I must admit that the stereotypically masculine tropes of many similar franchises, often involving huge warring battle scenes and big explosions, is just as tiresome.