Commie Pervert Geek Girl, Jan 2005
Originally published in Express

One of the things I'm most looking forward to for 2005 is - after 15 long years of waiting - a new series of Doctor Who. Yes, I'm out and proud as a complete and utter geek.

There is still the question of whether the new series will actually be any good, but it is very reassuring to know that the person at the helm is Russell T Davies. As the author of one of the best of the 1990s Doctor Who novels, he clearly knows how to write Who, and he also has extensive critically acclaimed television experience. Some of you may have heard of his little show by the name of "Queer As Folk".

Of course, Who isn't about the queer community, and the Doctor himself will remain an asexual alien in the new series, but we can hope for a decent selection of queer supporting characters to turn up. This would be a very welcome change from most science fiction shows, which even today are virtually devoid of openly queer characters. Personally, I suspect Star Trek's Federation is actually a dystopia that engages in genetic screening of embryos to eliminate any with potential homosexual leanings.

Though the original TV series didn't feature open homosexuality - indeed, it barely featured open heterosexuality - the situation changed once Doctor Who moved in to the realm of books. Since the cancellation of the series in 1989, a series of original novels have developed Who in to something much more sophisticated and mature. Quite a few have been written by gay authors, and many feature queer characters in greater or lesser roles. Davies' Who novel "Damaged Goods" was ground breaking in guest-starring a gay teenager who actually gets to shag the Doctor's male companion.

It seems likely that the new TV series will be continuing the quality of writing established in print. Certainly, the BBC are treating it seriously enough to give it a decent budget - no wobbly cardboard sets this time! It should be well worth a look for anyone interested in science fiction, whatever your opinion of the original series.

There do seem to be an awful lot of gay fans of Who. Perhaps this should not be surprising, with a lead character who lacks even the slightest interest in the charms of his female companions and eschews macho violence as the solution to problems, and significant gay content in the books. Sadly lesbians aren't as well catered for (aside from the aforementioned charms), though there are some excellent straight female characters such as long serving companion Bernice Summerfield. Superb spin-off series Faction Paradox does have a nice line in Xena-style subtext, but Who does need more open lesbianism. We can only hope new series companion Rose turns out to be queer...