The casting of Nathaniel Curtis as Sir Isaac Newton in the Doctor Who episode, Wild Blue Yonder, has been highlighted as a point of criticism in a new report about the BBC.
The 80-page “Independent Thematic Review of portrayal and representation of the UK in BBC content” report was conducted by former BAFTA chair, Anne Morrison, and ex-Ofcom executive, Chris Banatvala, and concluded that “clunky” identity politics when it comes to race can do more harm than good. It found:
“Colour-blind casting in drama is still controversial among some commentators and some audience complaints on this topic were received during the review year about Doctor Who, Agatha Christie: Murder is Easy, and Great Expectations… The controversy over Doctor Who concerned a mixed race (Indian/white) actor, Nathaniel Curtis, playing the part of Sir Isaac Newton, a white historical figure. Some complainants argued that it would cause offence if a white person were to portray a black historical figure and it is certainly hard to imagine a modern equivalent to Sir Lawrence Olivier ‘blacking up’ to play Othello.”
However, it goes on to say:
“However, without colour-blind casting, the range of roles available to actors of colour would be severely restricted, in a way which would not be the case for white actors, so we find this a false equivalence… Also, people sometimes assume that the history of the British Isles was entirely white, without recognising that some degree of ethnic mix has always existed.
“In Doctor Who, if we can ask viewers to believe that the central character is an extra-terrestrial being who can regenerate into a range of different actors and travels in a time machine through the space-time continuum, a mixed-race Sir Isaac Newton seems much less of a stretch.”
The latter point is pointedly obtuse, a false equivalent, almost as if they’re saying “we found people didn’t like it, but those people are wrong and we’re right”, and seems to go against the authors’ own raison d’être, set out at the start of the piece:
“Portraying and representing the diverse communities of the UK is one of the BBC’s core purposes, as set out in the Royal Charter. It must do this accurately and authentically.”
Showing Sir Isaac Newton to be mixed race is not accurate or authentic. In fact, it stuck out like a sore thumb, even in a show like Doctor Who which actively embraces diversity. For what it’s worth, Nathaniel Curtis did a decent enough job, despite being given little material to work with.
(Also, “colour blind casting” is a nonsense phrase when it comes to specifically hiring people based on their skin colour; it’s literally the opposite.)
Criticisms about the BBC being “woke” or “PC” or whatever have been thrown around for years, and they will continue to do so; this report simply adds a bit more fuel to the fire and doesn’t help anyone.
Worse than the “colour blind casting”, though, is the awful “mavity” stuff that came from this scene and has held a cringe-inducing legacy over the show ever since!
