What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man
- Publication: The Mail on Sunday
- Date: 2024-06-09
- Author: Chris Hastings
- Page: 18
- Language: English
HE WAS born centuries, if not millennia, ago - but last night Doctor Who proved you're never too old to try something new when he shared his first on-screen romantic kiss with another man.
The gay kiss took place in the dying minutes of the episode Rogue, which was set in Regency England and inspired by the hit Netflix show Bridgerton.
Within minutes of the episode beginning, viewers were left in no doubt about the sexual attraction between the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa and intergalactic bounty hunter Rogue, played by former Glee star Jonathan Groff.
In one scene, the two men danced at a ball before a clearly smitten Rogue got down on one knee and presented the Doctor with a ring.
The two men kissed in the final minutes of the episode just before Rogue appeared to sacrifice himself to save the Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday, portrayed by Millie Gibson.
Although this is not the Doctor's first on-screen kiss, the fact that it was with another man caused a stir on social media. One fan described it as 'the cutest thing I've ever seen' and another wrote: 'That kiss was everything, I need Rogue back immediately.'
Although more traditional fans were not so impressed. One said: 'Doctor Who is finished.'
The kiss marks the latest twist in the Time Lord's very complicated private life. In a previous incarnation he was married to the female character River Song, who was played by Alex Kingston. In 2005 the character, then played by Christopher Eccleston, received a goodbye kiss on the lips from 'omnisexual' character Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman. But the Doctor didn't reciprocate the captain's feelings.
Some fans feel the programme's executive producer Russell T Davies, who is himself gay, has become too 'woke' in the latest series. One wrote online yesterday: 'Whether you agree or not, Russell T Davies has turned the programme into a vessel to push his agenda.'
Other fans questioned whether a Time Lord, known for his emotional reserve, would have fallen in love so quickly. One wrote: 'The Doctor and Rogue romance was just a bit too fast for me. I'd rather it be developed over several appearances, personally.'
Another said writers had made the Doctor 'unrecognisable', adding: 'It isn't even a question of being gay, he was being sexual. Meeting, falling in love and wanting to many in minutes... that is the weakness.' A gay romance would have been unthinkable when the show first launched in 1963. It took 33 years for the Doctor to kiss anyone when his eighth incarnation, played by Paul McGann, locked lips with Dr Grace Holloway, played by Daphne Ashbrook, in the 1996 TV movie. That proved controversial at the time as fans felt it was out of character. McGann's successors in the role including Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith have all kissed female characters. And Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor confessed to feelings for her female companion, Yaz, but refused to act on them.
Caption: THE FIRST TIME: Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor kisses Jonathan Groff's Rogue
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Hastings, Chris (2024-06-09). What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man. The Mail on Sunday p. 18.
- MLA 7th ed.: Hastings, Chris. "What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man." The Mail on Sunday [add city] 2024-06-09, 18. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Hastings, Chris. "What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man." The Mail on Sunday, edition, sec., 2024-06-09
- Turabian: Hastings, Chris. "What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man." The Mail on Sunday, 2024-06-09, section, 18 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/What_a_carry_on,_Doctor!_Time_Lord%27s_first_romantic_kiss_with_another_man | work=The Mail on Sunday | pages=18 | date=2024-06-09 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 October 2026 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=What a carry on, Doctor! Time Lord's first romantic kiss with another man | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/What_a_carry_on,_Doctor!_Time_Lord%27s_first_romantic_kiss_with_another_man | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 October 2026}}</ref>
