The BBC have cast Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa as the ‘Fifteenth Doctor’ in the new series of Doctor Who, with the media making a big deal about how he is the ‘first openly queer black actor’ to assume the role and what a bold and progressive move this was on behalf of the BBC.

Unfortunately, many Doctor Who viewers weren’t thrilled about the appointment, and though I’m sure much of the criticism comes from the idea that this is forced ‘wokeism’, many also don’t think Ncuti Gatwa is a very good actor and that he has been cast in this iconic role purely so the BBC can pat themselves on the back for being so progressive.

Last month, Gatwa responded to the haters and critics by telling them to stop watching:

“Don’t watch. Turn off the TV. Go and touch grass, please, for God’s sake. As the world darkens — and I do think the world is darkening around queer rights — there is a joy and a celebration, and there’s a community.”

“I feel like anyone that has a problem with someone who’s not a straight white man playing this character, you’re not really, truly a fan of the show. You’ve not been watching! Because the show is about regeneration, and the Doctor is an alien — why would they only choose to be this sort of person?”

Drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, who plays Maestro in the season, echoed the sentiment:

“To the people who have issues: The show that you love was created by a queer person. Get over it! A lot of people are going to really love this, and I think this season is going to create a lot of new Doctor Who fans. And if we lose some of the transphobic ones, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

Unfortunately for them, that’s exactly what’s happened, with viewership for the last two episodes down 50%. The first episode last week, “Space Babies,” drew 2.6 million viewers. The second episode, “The Devil’s Chord” drew just 2.4 million. By comparison, the debut episode back in December boasted 4.7 million viewers (which itself was actually the lowest rated Doctor Who premiere since 1963).

Only a single episode from 2017 (‘The Eaters of Light’ — 2.89M) comes close to sinking as low as the ratings are now, in terms of viewership in the last eight years.

I don’t even think this necessarily has to do with Ncuti Gatwa in the lead role. The BBC could have easily cast any black and queer actor they wanted, but they should have just gone ahead and promoted the show as normal, rather than making a big deal out of what the lead actor identifies as. Doctor Who has practically sold itself for years and years, before most of us were even born. By banging on about Gatwa’s race and sexual orientation, they ended up undermining him as an actor who only got the part because he is black and queer.

In the end, it was a bold strategy to suggest the tried and tested ‘don’t like it? don’t buy it’ method to viewers, as it seems they were happy to oblige. Will be interesting to see who’s in the running for the Doctor Who role next series.

For the Guardian journalist who wrote an article explaining why Doctor Who is ‘more offensive than ever’, click HERE. They can’t win!