“Doctor Who” is a British sci-fi show that has been running almost continuously since 1963. The main protagonist, a Time Lord (alien species) who calls themself The Doctor is a time-traveling adventurer who picks up companions though time and space. Their time machine, funnily enough, is an unassuming police box from the 60’s that is bigger on the inside (this quirky detail only adds to the general kooky vibe of the show). The thing about “Doctor Who” is that the protagonist never dies, but instead regenerates into different incarnations of themself, letting the show run almost indefinitely and letting it live on for generations.
This show has been a cultural phenomenon from the start. The height of it being in the 2000’s when the show was rebooted/continued after being cancelled since the mid 80’s. In British culture, “Doctor Who” certainly holds its place among the classic memorabilia. Over here in the States it isn’t as famous, but it really should be made a big deal, as it is such a fun show.
The sci-fi genre has always been alluring for minority groups. Whether Star-Trek or Star Wars, they follow the lives of people (or aliens) who are different from others, who have the system stacked against them, or fighting evil. Aliens are a common canvas for queer-coding, beyond the planes of Earth and the gender binary. “Doctor Who” is the model for this phenomenon. “Doctor Who,” having a unique protagonist that can change appearance totally, is canonically trans and has appeared on screen regenerating from man to woman. The show has had over seven same-sex kisses over its 60 years on air, four of them being between the Doctor and another character. Captain Jack Harkness is one such character, introduced in 2005, and is a boldly bisexual character, who even has his own spinoff, Torchwood, where his main love interest is a man.
In the Twelfth Doctor’s three season run, he explains to his companion (who is canonically a lesbian), that Time Lords are neither male nor female but something else entirely, that they have fluid identity above the small-mindedness of human culture.
The newest season just came out on April 12 of this year, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the first person of color to play the lead role, and has an entirely non-white TARDIS team, for the first time in the show's history.
“Doctor Who” is a truly unique show that has always been about the minorities and comforts so many (myself included). It is a really campy and silly show, but still has deep meaning and can really make you cry. Watching this show isn’t just a way to pass time, either. You get sucked into the story and the characters and it just leaves you wanting to binge it. Luckily for you, there are forty-one seasons total (starting from the 60’s) over a hundred audios, dozens of NewWho books, and seven hundred and five from the classic era. Just like the TARDIS, the world is bigger on the inside. Good luck!