On Monday, two British tabloids, The Sun and Mail Online, published nude photos in their coverage of Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to ever play the decades-old role in âDoctor Who.â BBC recently announced that Whittaker, known for her role on âBroadchurch,â would play the iconic role.
The Sun paired the nude photos with equally sexist commentary about Whittakerâs past on-screen nudity.
Ryan John Butcher, deputy editor of Gay Times Magazine, tweeted a snippet of the article and pointed out previous incarnations of the Doctor who have been naked as well. Actor Matt Smith, for example, had a love scene with âDoctor Whoâ alumna Billie Piper in her series, âSecret Diary of a Call Girlâ before taking on the role of the 11th Doctor.
âThereâs no shortage of good roles for actresses on TV,â the Sunâs article read. âJodie Whittaker isnât exactly going to inspire young girls to become asexual time travelers, is she?â
Mail Online also published a story on Monday that described a nude scene featuring Whittaker from the Netflix series âBlack Mirror,â calling the sex scene âorgasmicâ in the headline. Although Mail Online included some of Whittakerâs other work, the entire page is littered with screenshots of the sex scene.
Since âDoctor Whoâ originally debuted in 1963, there have been 12 different actors cast as the Doctor and all of whom have been white men. The character is unique in the fact that rather than dying, the Doctor simply regenerates and becomes a new person. Therefore many Whovians, as the showâs fans are called, have been pushing for years for a woman or person of color to take on the role of the Doctor.
Many fans were outraged at the Sun and Mail Online for their selective and misogynistic coverage of Whittakerâs groundbreaking role.
Whittaker told BBC in a recent interview that taking on the role felt âincredible.â
âDoctor Who represents everything thatâs exciting about change,â Whittaker said. âThe fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.â