A Smallish Masterpost On The Doctor And Asexuality/Aromanticism
Back in 2019 I apparently made this post about The Doctor and asexuality and aromanticism on my other blog and I have nooo memory of it. so, updated version that's got a bit more going for it:
A small masterpost of various people talking about The Doctor's "Asexuality" - feat. asexuality, aromanticism, demisexuality, demiromanticism, allosexuality, alloromanticism, and a whole squiggly set of queer concepts, as well as discussions about sexism
NOTE: additions are welcome, and forgive the rambles
So classic!who presented the Doctor as a type of asexual, in which the asexuality was a facet of alienness, rather than necessarily based in any community identification of the label -- in the real world, there's documentation of the word asexual since at least the early 1900s (so in tandem with the increasing use of homo, bi, and heterosexual, if not as widespread), as well as overlaps with other communities and labels, such as bisexual and lesbian communities (which both include/d ace people), dandyism, etc. -- so a rich, complex history bubbling beneath all of this (the most famous coining of asexual is in I believe a manifesto from 1978 off the top of my head)
this real world stuff was not what was going on in the world of Doctor Who when it was called Asexual as far as I'm aware - although, I mean... I'm sure there were actual ace and aro fans...? - but it's interesting to know that it was definitely going on, and so no matter what the intent was (alienness, the doctor intended as patriarchal/teacher-like, the doctor intended as for children, etcetc) there is some real overlap with actual asexuality at the time, including within the word itself
and then a bunch of people got really pissed off when the Eighth Doctor broke the rule that the Doctor must always be totally disconnected from romance- waaait but that's not asexuality. And yeah, that's the other thing. Asexuality is used interchangeably as being both aromanticism and asexuality and aroaceness, because people just don't know better- we'll try to make distinctions, but it can be difficult, with how others were conflating, so be Prepared for that in below
in Nu!Who the doctor seemingly got a bit friskier, so let's take a look at that as well
1. First some general Doctor Who – the first asexual Doctors:
Sexuality was the expression of sexual attraction or desire. This could be for an individual of a different gender or sex, of the same gende
The question of the Doctor's sexuality was a controversial one. It was fanon for decades that he was asexual; fans used the Fourth Doctor's line in City of Death that Countess Scarlioni was "probably" beautiful as proof. Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker agreed with this theory, saying, "Love is a human emotion and the Doctor isn't human." (REF: The Television Companion) Both Matt Smith[6] and Tom Baker (DOC: Getting Blood from the Stones) have identified that their respective Doctors are asexual and clueless to human sexuality; both exploited this for visual humour
(note: Steven Moffat made the comment that the eighth doctor “hit puberty” which were very controversial, but Moffat has often made controversial statements in regards to asexuality, suggesting that he finds it “boring” to write in relation to Sherlock Holmest:
It’s the choice of a monk, not the choice of an asexual. If he was asexual, there would be no tension in that, no fun in that – it’s someone who abstains who’s interesting
(it's ironic that Sherlock Holmes is his other show considering Holmes himself as an asexual icon being sexualised more and more in recent iterations -- but also that arguably Elementary's Sherlock was kind of aromantic and allosexual, which is a Very Very Rare Thing To Write)
the older doctors being grumpy about all the kissing in new who is my new favourite thing
These gifs of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy pretty much sum up the idea of classic!who smooching People
CB: He's an alien, so what's he doing messing around with human women for? For heavens sake
SM: You know Doctor Who had been very successful for 30 year without canoodling anywhere
Both of these have a tad of the "asexuality is for aliens" + "allosexuality as a whole is not for this show" (which isn't quiiite true, considering the objectification of several of the companions, who did canoodle with some people... just not the doctor)
This video is a great little rundown of the queer history of Doctor Who and includes this nugget from Steven Moffat back in the day of Discourse around the Eighth Doctor being a bit less Asexual than previous incarnations:
"What on Earth (or elsewhere) is the fuss about the Dr snogging his companion? Nowhere in the series does it *ever* state that the Doc is asexual (it's purely an assumption on the part of the fans) and the fact that he has a a grandaughter might lead the pedants among us to conclude otherwise (and no it wasn't a term of affection - that's just another assumption and an entirely baseless one at that.)
We know that humans and Time Lords are mutually sexually attracted (Susan and Whats-his-name, Leela and Thingummy, The Doctor and that-Aztec-woman) and that the Dr favours bimbos in mini-skirts (what, you think he was choosing them for their brains?) The most you could conclude from watching the show is that he's a little reticent about involvement (not surprising when your inability for commitment extends to your entire home planet!)
So if the Doc's vow of celibacy is a fan assumption which flies directly in the face of the established continuity, why would you think a new series would pay any heed to it?
Steven Moffat
P.S. I mean, the guy has one snog in thirty years of saving our planet and you're all complaining! You utter, utter bastards!!
I think what's also interesting about this comment is the inevitable link between allosexuality and sexism that also exists in Steven Moffat's tenure as showrunner. how does one show a [man] into a [woman?] By making her wear short skirts and having the dude make comments about it of course
Also very funny it actually hits upon a very good point -- there are allosexual Timelords (I'd disagree about the Doctor and that-Aztec-woman) (second note here about how even in this message it's kind of clear how secondary romance was for DW, the romantic partners are Not memorable characters), so if the Doctor is sort of... not like the other Timelords, then the asexuality and aromanticism is not alien... it's the Doctor
2. A bit about the show's attitude towards writing the Doctor as asexual and how that interest has waned over the years:
In honor of Asexual Awareness Week, I wanted to discuss asexual interpretations of the Doctor, and focus particularly on the feminist aspect
But that was then and this is now, and the discussion over whether or not the Doctor is still an asexual character has certainly become very heated. Many fans have asked whether or not the Doctor can still be considered asexual, given the nature of the current show. John Richards, in a brilliant and surprisingly funny essay for Queers Dig Time Lords titled “The Heterosexual Agenda,” lamented the aggressive assertion of the Doctor’s heterosexuality
This is the Confidential episode around The Girl In The Fireplace around the Doctor and "snogging" and ways in which fans might read it (fans can "explain it away" as "she kissed him")
In it we get a bit more about Moffat's whole... deal... around women and the Doctor. It's interesting because he argues that it works because Madame de Pompadour is a "match" for the Doctor due to being well-educated and civilised and multi-talented... "if the Doctor was going to settle down, it would be a girl like this," in the season in which one might argue the main romance is with Rose, a working-class woman who never finished highschool
so a bit about the ways sexism, classism, and heteronormativity also play into the writing of a "more allosexual" Doctor...
It also includes DT saying they had an extraordinary relationship that was over before it began -- I just like how he refers to it without attempting to label it
the framing of the confidential episode is very romantic, just so you're prepared. It also has more unintentional framing of the Doctor's potentially "falling in love" as a more "human" emotion (in contrast to alien emotions of not falling in love)
as you can hear, it conflates allosexuality and alloromanticism throughout
3. Eleven, He's A Little Confused But He's.... kinda? Got the Spirit (and an unfortunate slice of sexism/heteronormativity):
With the news that Matt Smith is moving on from Doctor Who, there’s been a whole lot of interesting online discussion about the idea that th
One thing has been a constant, though — the Doctor himself has been entirely asexual, save for the notorious on-screen kiss during Paul McGann’s performance as the Eighth Doctor in the one-off special made during the show’s wilderness years, a kiss that had fans outraged precisely because it was so out of character and proved that the producers behind the telemovie had no idea what they were doing.
It’s interesting how recent Doctor Who has, if anything, emphasized this idea of the Doctor’s asexuality; Matt Smith said earlier this year that his version of the character was “more asexual than some of the others,” and in 2011 he answered a question about whether his version of the Doctor is at all interested in sex as follows: “No. The Doc’s idea of an orgy is playing chess with an ostrich. His brain doesn’t work in that way. He would find it weird and peculiar. He finds women peculiar. He is quite asexual.”
The idea that the Doctor “finds women peculiar” is probably one that says more about Matt Smith than it does about the Doctor’s character — 30 years of Doctor Who history rather contradict the idea that the Doctor finds women any stranger than men, and in general he has been characterized by his enduring affection for humanity in general, regardless of gender.
In general the way people talk about Matt Smith’s doctor to me, often has a bit of infantilisation along with it - of course we can read him as ace, because he’s boyish, hyperactive, and distracted... he's weird and alien
There's also this cute little fan-video that has some Nine, Ten, and Twelve but is mainly focusing on Eleven's asexual Vibes in a couple of scenes, which actually is something I've always struggled a little more with, because Moffat had Eleven doing sexist shit occasionally and was also soooo male-gazey, but it's also got one of my favourite ace moments for the Doctor period ("I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS!????")
(the scenes with Amy in this exemplifies so much of what I dislike about Moffat, but it's also fascinatingly The Tightrope Of Asexuality -- Amy is essentially violating the Doctor's consent over and over, but it's fine because "he's" a "bloke" -- she then goes on to show the Doctor's former companions on screen.... but notably only the women, and making a biiig mistake in including I think both Zoe and Ace, who were teenagers when they travelled with the Doctor... implying that that was... idek......)
I will also acknowledge here that while I don't think Moffat ever got... super comfortable writing queerness, he did get much, much better and stopped constantly referring to the doctor as a "bloke," who does bloke-y things (like objectify women, care too much about machinery/the TARDIS, and be a playboy who whisks away young girls in order to seduce them, I guess?)
and I personally think that the gender component plays into the Doctor's increased asexual vibes in his run (which is ironic considering where Moffat started lol), but I'd have to do wa-HAY more of a deep dive to actually confirm that... just a theory.... but also interesting that asexuality and aromanticism is more fine, because the Doctor is not a bloke......
it's complicated
4. Ten, The Jessica Rabbit Effect (just because you think they're hot doesn't mean they want to fuck)
Take the TARDIS back to revisit this interview with the former Time Lord!
[Patrick Troughton and Sylvester McCoy] would hardly have been much cop as Casanova; the 2005 TV role for which Tennant won much praise. Perhaps that's why the Times christened him "the first Timephwoard". "That's the Times?" he boggles. "It's, er, quite surprising..." Or why the Pink Paper voted him the Sexiest Man In The Universe, above Brad Pitt and David Beckham.
Why do you think Ten could be demisexual? It's a VERY interesting theory and I actually really wanna hear more about it.
MY TIME HAS COME lo
in general, it seems unequivocal to me that ten doesn’t like getting hit on, even playfully [...] not only does he seem consistently uninterested in these advances, but in most cases, a bit confused and/or unsettled by the idea of being hit on by anyone. contrary to the ‘space casanova’ narrative frequently espoused by magazines and interviewers, in reality ten is no stud. far from it. apart from with rose, he never reciprocates flirtatious behavior, nor does he ever seem pleased to be on the receiving end of it.
[Link to a gifset in which The Witch in The Shakespeare Code tries to seduce the Doctor and he answers “now that’s one form of magic that definitely won’t work on me.
the second/third/fourth gifs are of David T saying: “she nearly kisses me. I don’t nearly kiss her. It’s an important distinction.”
This interview is around the time the final RTD/DT episodes were beginning to air
Interviewer: Lots of snogging you've done, there was-
DT: Not lots
Interviewer: More- I'm trying to think now I don't remember any of the previous doctors-
DT: More than Jon Pertwee did, yes
Interviewer: Yes a lot more than Jon Pertwee... what-how come...?
DT: I can't help it if the ladies of the Universe are flinging themselves at me, you know? Its not, you know, it's just part of the job I have- It's- usually it's not a sexual thing with the Doctor. He's a fairly asexual character.
Interviewer: So what's with the kissing then?
DT: Well, I don't think- there's a genetic transfer as it was once... or, and you know these women just can't help themselves, I don't know-
5. 12, Too Old To Be Romantic?
Capaldi talking about his relationship with Clara, noting the age-difference as reasons why they would never be a romantic couple (the subtext here is non-sexual as well, although it conflates the two).
[Capaldi] said there was “no romance, but deep love” between the Doctor and Clara, played by Jenna Coleman.
“It would have been completely creepy,” the star told the Radio Times. “It’s fine if you have handsome young men like Matt [Smith] and David Tennant, but as a father I felt it would be inappropriate.
Capaldi laughed off complaints that his first full episode last year was promoting a gay agenda after it featured a kiss between a lizard woman and her human wife. “I think it was good,” he said.
“Actually it’s not just lesbian. It’s across species, which is even worse, presumably. It’s crazy if people get up in arms about it. There should be lots more kissing in Doctor Who. So long as it’s not the Doctor and Clara.”
Honestly I wonder how much the hype died down because he was no longer young and "hot." Skill issue honestly
6. The Doctor and The Master/Missy
I feel like I don't have enough on this, and that's also a facet of the whole "is the Doctor now allosexual and alloromantic." It seems to only really come up in relation to the [seemingly] het relationships
I don't really see much in relation to the Doctor and Jack (who's canonically in love with the Doctor) or the Doctor and Simm's Master -- I mean, fanfic, yes, but not bigger article-worthy discussion...
(and Jamie and the Doctor and Adric and the Doctor and Alan Turing and the Doctor......)
so if anyone has a bit to add on that
Most of it is in relation to... Moffat's sexier "Missy." (sigh). However very interested in what Michelle Gomez (who was excellent as the character!) had to say about it:
ACTRESS Michelle Gomez has downplayed the idea of any sexual tension between her Doctor Who character and the famous time lord.
She added a female time lord "blows open all these new possibilities for different relationship that couldn't have happened before" but denied the idea of sexual chemistry between Missy and the Doctor.
"You're reading into it something I've never even thought of," she said.
The Scottish star added: "With [the Doctor’s young companion] Clara, it would have been straight away, ‘What is the romantic connection, does the Master fancy her?’ No. We can move past that, into something much more interesting, much more detailed, which is life. That’s what life is. It’s not all black and white."
Idk, she seems to get something intrinsic about the possibilities of all this that many others don't
This is one of my favorite lines from the first episode (and will probably continue to be in the t
Gifset of The Mistress (being questioned by Clara on the nature of Missy’s/the Doctor’s relationship): Try, nanobrain, to rise above the reproductive frenzy of your noisy little food chain and contemplate friendship.
I find the whole post quite charming actually, it's a small moment in Doctor Who fandom from a specific person. I don't even remember how I originally found it
7. Misc
I don't really have anything on Thirteen currently, because I haven't seen all of those seasons yet. I know Yaz/Thirteen is very shipped, I assume I'll prooobably feel similarly to all the other Doctor/Companion ships in that I'll be going at it from an aromantic lens
Asexuality comes up frequently in Doctor Who fandom, usually in the context of describing the Doctor. Unfortunately, the way it is used is o
I have seen discussions about how the Doctor’s perceived romantic and/or sexual relationship with this person or other (insert your preferred person here, Rose, Madame de Pompadour, River…) has made him too human, too normal. Discussions that assume that romantic and sexual attraction is an inherent part of human experience, so removing them from a character makes him alien.
At this year’s Gallifrey One convention, I gave a talk titled “Asexuality, Aromanticism, and Doctor Who” as part of the Academic Symposium.
This is about the way "Asexuality" (meaning aroaceness) applied purely to alien creatures isn't... great... for aroace people
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve heard fans discuss wanting a more alien “asexual Doctor”, which is generally taken to mean “no romance in the Tardis.”
It often goes back to the same questions: is the Doctor's "Asexuality" (that is, asexuality and aromanticism) purely used to indicate the alien? When John Smith is human he falls in love and asks "what sort of a man" the Doctor is that falling in love didn't occur to him. Many classic actors (whom I have a great deal of affection for) tend to use alien as the reason for the so-called Asexuality, and that seems to lie at a lot of the fans discomfort with a more "sexy" Doctor of nu!who, rather than anything to do with character or portraying asexuality and aromanticism in sci-fi
and on the flipside, people who very much like an alloromantic and allosexual Doctor dismiss aroace Doctor reads because of things that are absolutely within the purview of an aroace experience (I've seen anything from having a grandkid to being hot to caring about others to knowing what sex is)
I wonder if actually consciously writing an aroace Doctor would make people really uncomfortable as well, since it would remove the "alienness" from the idea of it... also it would make people who really really like allosexual and alloromantic Doctor angry too... so no winning I guess
I wonder how Ncuti Gatwa alongside RTD's queerness will redefine the subtext of it all once again...
Okay, so I finally rewatched World Enough and Time and made a list of all the classic!Who references I could spot (aside from the obvious ones like Mondas etc):
Twelve stumbling from the Tardis to regenerate - Pertwee / Third Doctor in Spearhead from Space (and Planet of the Spiders, come to that)
‘Ooh, it’s a big one’ - Turlough in the Five Doctors (’Big...isn’t it?’)
‘Doctor Who’ vs ‘The Doctor’ - apparently there were fearsome wankwars about this back in the day?
‘Giant ship, single pilot, but not designed that way’ - Yeah Missy just pretty much described a Tardis. Which both she and the Doctor have had to learn to fly solo for varying reasons
old school Cybermen = ‘vending machine’ - obvs
Mr Razer / Rumplestiltskin!Master’s tv screen is a replica of the kind of 1960′s telly Moffat and other kids his age would have grown up watching the show on
Venusian Aikido - Pertwee Doctor was famous for it
Master of Disguise - yeah Delgado!Master and Ainley!Master did the whole Scooby-Doo rubber mask thing pretty much every time they appeared
The Genesis of the Cybermen - classic!Who is widely (and justly) mocked for its overuse of titles like this: The Genesis of the Daleks; Rise of the Cybermen; Attack of the Cybermen; Revenge of the Cybermen; Flatulence of the Cybermen; The Power of the Daleks; Tomb of the Cybermen (okay one of those was made up but you get the point)
hey, broad question to classic/nu!who and eu books and audiodrama fans, what's your favourite moment/time in a story where the doctor loses agency in some way? not just talking a bit of getting kidnapped or tied up (although we enjoy that too) but one where it's made clear in the text that the doctor is experiencing some form of profound helplessness within the situation they're in -- this can be for a short or a long time/can be where the doctor is relying on a companion or thinks they're utterly alone, but it has to be something felt by the doctor as a moment/time where they have no ability to affect the situation (with a bonus for despair, we love despair). doesn't have to be a whole episode/story that's your favourite, just... that part as something that resonated within this context
The Doctor: So you intend to hold the universe to ransom.
The Master: Doctor... why don't you come in with me. we're both Timelords. We're both renegades. We could be masters of the galaxy. Think of it Doctor. Absolute power -- power for good, ah, you could reign benevolently. You could end war, suffering, disease. We could save the universe.
The Doctor: No. Absolute power is evil!
The Master: Consider carefully doctor. I'm offering you a half-share in the universe. You must see reason, Doctor.
The Doctor: No. I will not join you in your absurd dreams of a galactic conquest!
The Master: Why? why? Look at this: Look at all those planetary system, Doctor. we could rule them all!
The Doctor: What for? what's the point?
The Master: The point is that one must rule or serve, that's a basic law of life. why do you hesitate Doctor? surely it's not loyalty to the Timelords, who exiled you on one insignificant planet.
The Doctor: You'll never understand, will you? I want to see the universe, not rule it!
