Doctor Who director is hoping for more LGBTQ+ action in new season: ‘If he’s gay, let’s see it’

One of the directors of sci-fi classic Doctor Who has said he wants to see more exploration of the Doctor’s sexuality in the latest season, claiming “queerness shapes you”.

The 15th series of Doctor Who – which has been marketed as “season two” due to production changes and Disney+ acquiring international broadcasting rights – will begin on 12 April, with many fans hoping the latest season will contain even more queer moments.

Speaking about the show’s lead Ncuti Gatwa, 86-year-old Waris Hussein, who directed the very first Doctor Who television story “An Unearthly Child” back in 1963, told Doctor Who Magazine that he hopes there is a “curiosity” around the Doctor’s sexuality.

“I’m curious about Russell T [Davies]’s thinking,” Hussein said about the showrunner. “Where’s he taking the character? What’s the mystery? If Russell T has made the Doctor queer, is there reference to it? There should be a curiosity among the people the Doctor meets.”

Hussein, who is gay, added: “There’s no point in saying, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’ It does. Queerness matters. Queerness shapes you. I’ve grown up with that mentality – I can’t get rid of it. So it must shape the Doctor. If he’s gay, let’s see it. But don’t lose the mystery.”

Hussein added that he wonders “if the burden of responsibility on [Ncuti Gatwa] is greater because he’s the first Black actor [to lead the show]?”

Gatwa has addressed the vile homophobic and racist backlash he faced after taking over the lead role in December 2023, praising the “warmth and love” he felt from Doctor Who fans.

“I wouldn’t be the only Black lead that’s taken over a sci-fi franchise that would have received that sort of treatment,” he told Vanity Fair in November 2024. “Unfortunately, those are voices that exist in sci-fi fandoms – but they’re not the only voices.”

He added: “I just remember feeling a lot of warmth and love, being embraced into a big nerd family. When we’re shooting Doctor Who, there are fans outside the studio or on location every single time, be it at 4am, be it minus-12 degrees,” he said.

“I think that’s beautiful, what the show means to them, so I concentrate on that more than anything.”

One particularly iconic and very gay event will be making its way to Doctor Who season two: namely, Eurovision. Well, a space version of Eurovision, anyway, hosted by the one and only Rylan Clark.

In a full-length teaser trailer for the upcoming season, Rylan appears briefly, as he takes to a monstrously large stadium stage alongside a feline friend to introduce the “Interstellar Song Contest”.

Decked out in a decadent red velvet suit and signature slicked-back hair and preened beard, the 32-year-old queer star bellows into a microphone: “Welcome… to the Interstellar Song Contest!” We can’t wait.

Doctor Who series two will be available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK on 12 April. The show will also be available to stream on Disney+.

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