Episode 6 took viewers back to 1813 during the British Regency era. Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor joined forces with Jonathan Groff’s bounty hunter Rogue to fight against the shape-shifting Chuldurs.
The two shared the BBC show’s first romantic same-sex kiss after flirting throughout the whole episode. Rogue sacrificed himself to save Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday right after the moment.
Hints At The Doctor’s Sexuality In Past Episodes
The Doctor previously shared a kiss with John Barrowman’s Captain Jack Harkness in 2005, but the scene lacked a romantic charge. There was also a subtle romance between Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteen and Mandip Gill’s Yaz, though it’s never been physical.
Supporting characters did share same-sex kisses in past episodes, but this is the Doctor’s first explicit one. Russel T. Davies built the moment on previous hints at the Time Lord’s link to the LGBTQ+ community.
The 60th anniversary special implied that David Tennant’s Fourteen was attracted to Isaac Newton. Gatwa’s Fifteen later mentioned a ‘hot summer’ with Harry Houdini in the 2023 Christmas Special.
The Time Lord Has Always Been ‘Sexless’
RTD recently suggested that ‘Doctor Who’ always included gay themes, and they resonated with him as a queer child. The showrunner told BBC:
“‘Doctor Who’ was kind of sexless. He’s with a beautiful woman all the time and never looks at her sexually. And that’s an interesting little chime with a young, gay boy.”
He added:
“The low budget means they used silver and glitter. They turned to someone with a funny wig on their head, pretending to be a Martian. The programme can’t avoid being camp. ‘Doctor Who’s’ first director was a gay Asian man [Waris Hussein]. I find that to be a tremendous victory.”
Season 14 is wrapping up in two weeks. The first part of the finale, ‘The Legend of Ruby Sunday,’ will air on June 15.
