Recently I read an article (I won’t name said article as I don’t want hate mail from the fellow who wrote it) that was to be frank, utterly baffling.  It seemed to be a splurge of hate and anger aimed at the show’s head, Mr Steven Moffat. Now I am not in any sense of the word Mr Moffat’s biggest fan, he’s done good stuff but also stuff that I really don’t like.  However, I like a good deal of regular Doctor Who watchers agree with his casting of Peter Capaldi as the 12^th Doctor.  Unfortunately, our dear article writer didn’t agree. In fact, he went so far to say as that is was, (I quote directly from the muddled piece): 

“All of this is blasphemy. And boorrriinnng”

Sadly, the writer didn’t keep to his point as to why Capaldi wasn’t the best choice and instead went into an over the top angry rant about Moffat’s version of Doctor Who. Reading this article made me think. Why are Doctor Who fans so angry?

Over the past few days, since the announcement of Capaldi as The Doctor there has been truckloads of hate. Not only this demented article which features a paragraph long sentence, but also hate on Twitter.  I was recently directed to a Twitter account called @SaveDoctorWho. The biography of the user claims:  

“Oh Lord, it’s like the 80’s all over again”

The user’s tweets basically says that Capaldi is too old to be The Doctor and that “kid’s won’t identify with him”. The user seems to have forgotten most of the classic series and has the set idea that Doctor Who cannot change to accommodate an older actor which is pure rubbish.

One of the main points of Doctor Who is that it is flexible; it can change with the times and can be whatever the people creating it want it to be. From dark fairy tale to space age soap opera the show can change, has changed and will change.

Some groups of fans seem to aim the hate for the announcement solely at a group referred to as “Tumblr fangirls”. This is however too small minded, too petty. Middle aged fans, feminists all sorts of people have been angry that Capaldi isn’t black, he isn’t a women, he isn’t disabled, he doesn’t have five heads and three lips. But they are missing the point and in their own way destroying their argument.

Yes, the Doctor could be black, he could be Asian, he could become a she but that should only happen when someone who fits into those categories is the right person for the job.

If Steven Moffat had cast a black man, simply because he was black and people had been clamouring for a black Doctor for ages then he would be ridiculed.  The reason Peter Capaldi got the job wasn’t because he represented a minority but because he was the best person for the job and we should celebrate that.

Related articles

• Screw you! The psychology of anger and aggression | Dean Burnett (theguardian.com)
• Why Are British “Doctor Who” Fans Angry? (sliceofscifi.com)
• Why Peter Capaldi Will Be A Great Doctor (lifeandotherquestions.wordpress.com)
• Peter Capaldi: from spin doctor to Doctor Who (abc.net.au)
• Ahmed Shehzad angry on his fans (thenewstribe.com)
• Super Angry Kim Kardashian Fans Get Punk’d By Fakeout Baby Snaps, Release Their Fury On Facebook (mommyish.com)
• When Sophie Gets Really, Really Angry. . . (mlreads.wordpress.com)