It can be easy to wax poetic about the ways in which Doctor Who shows us how to be tolerant of those who are different and the heartache that follows when people think only of themselves. Like Star Trek has traditionally done on this side of the Pond, our show often serves to promote understanding among people of different backgrounds and make us think critically about our common assumptions.
Maybe that’s one reason it makes me sad to realize how homogeneous its characters are.
Think about it. How many characters have been people of color (that is, colors other than green!)? Or people with demonstrably other-than-heterosexual orientations (or any other minority identity one could name)? Of those, how many were major players? We’ve only had one Companion (or two, if you count Mickey, which I really don’t) who was a POC. Granted, now and then there’s a one-off POC character (like Rita in The God Complex or Nasreen in The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood), but they don’t stick around. Similarly, no one but Captain Jack is blatantly “omnisexual.” (I know Moffat’s stated that River is bi, but the fact that he had to tell us means she’s not represented that way on screen.) And given the demographics of the UK (because, let’s be honest, as a British show, it’s going to reflect British culture), you’d think there would be more POC/non-heteronormative/etc. characters even among the extras.
