The BBC loves nothing more than triggering Middle England but with Doctor Who’s non-binary alien they have a point
THERE is nothing the BBC loves more than triggering Middle England.
This time, courtesy of Doctor Who, they’ve done it again in the form of a cute, fluffy little alien called The Meep.
Because, of course, Russell T Davies’s animated fluffball had to be non-binary.
In a move seemingly born purely to ratchet up the culture wars, David Tennant’s Timelord was told off for misgendering the animated creature.
As one commentator observed: “A cameo from Suella Braverman would have been received more charitably.”
In Saturday’s 60th anniversary special, The Star Beast, the famous time traveller was called out by the daughter of former companion Donna Noble for referring to The Meep as “him”.
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Rose, who is played by transgender actress Yasmin Finney, asks: “You’re assuming he as a pronoun?”
The Doc, upon realising his mistake, apologised and asked Meep — voiced by Miriam Margolyes — if it was a “he or she or they”.
The creature, inset, replied: “My chosen pronoun is the definite article. I am always The Meep.” Cue mass hysteria on social media, with fans pledging to boycott the show in disgust over this politically-correct outrage.
The Family Education Trust stomped in, saying the scene promoted a “cult of gender ideology” for young people watching the TV show, adding: “This is dreadful propaganda from the BBC yet again.”
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But wait.
Before we all start dribbling with disgust, frothing at the mouth at yet another wokeism being shoved down our impressionable kids’ throats . . . perhaps we should actually let this one slide.
Doctor Who is a science-fiction show, by its very nature filled with implausible time loops, plot gaps and nonsensical storylines.
It’s meant to be fun. A spectacle, a spot of light relief in a time of misery in the real world.
Russell predicted that a minority would be “full of absolute hate and venom and destruction and violence, who would like to see that sort of thing wiped off the screen entirely”.
He added: “Shame on you, and good luck to you in your lonely lives.”
Really, he’s right.
Since taking the reins on this cult show, the writer has done all he can to increase representation and diversity on screen.
As he should.
A small but significant move for LGBTQ community
Thanks to him, we’ve seen characters in wheelchairs and of all colours, creeds and sexualities.
He removed the scarring from one character, the malevolent Davros, so as not to stigmatise those with disabilities or deformities.
Such small acts of kindness, unnoticeable to 99 per cent of the population, make a huge, huge difference to minorities.
Sure, non-binary people make up a tiny fraction of society.
But if, for them, seeing a little fluffy creature going by a definite article pronoun (what a sentence), helps, then who are we to kick off?
Really, who does it hurt? Precisely no one.
Ten years ago it would have been unthinkable to cast a same-sex pairing on that other BBC staple, Strictly Come Dancing.
Today, no one bats an eyelid. A small but massively significant move for the LGBTQ community.
So if we really want to upset the BBC for apparently shoving their woke agenda down our collective throats, the best way to go about it is by being utterly non-upset in the first place.
Live and let live the fluffy little aliens.
FOR the quirkiest thing on telly right now, you can’t beat Squid Games: The Challenge.
The new Netflix reality competition is the most weirdly compelling and brutal bit of streaming you’ll see all decade. It’s like Gladiators on speed.
No spoilers, but try watching Player 299 extricating an umbrella in the Dalgona Cookie Challenge and not gag. Or look at Player 432 without wincing.
Give it a go.
Don’t sweat who’s who in Andrew drama
AS if one Prince Andrew wasn’t enough, now we have three.
Two new dramas, coming up on Netflix and Amazon Prime, will recreate the fallen Prince’s infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis. Last week the broadcaster tweeted a photo of one of the actresses, the brilliant Ruth Wilson, saying she no longer knew who was who. Presumably, the Prince Andrews – played respectively by Rufus Sewell and Michael Sheen – are going full method . . . and teaching themselves not to sweat.
Kelly has a cheek
LORRAINE KELLY went on air last week and called Nigel Farage’s naked shower scene “traumatising”.
She continued by saying she was “astonished” to discover the politician was only 59.
Just imagine the outrage if it were the other way round, and a bloke body-shamed a middle-aged woman.
Nigel would be cancelled quicker than you could say “bare buttocks”.
Double standards work both ways and this wasn’t cool, Loz.
MORE controversy Down Under following the mind-boggingly ridiculous row between Fred Sirieix and YouTuber Nella Rose.
The Gen Z star took offence after Frenchman Fred joked he was old enough to be her dad – claiming it was cruel as her actual father is no longer alive.
It’s like being offended by the phrase, “It’s raining cats and dogs” because your beloved Rex was put down.
End bed stigma
FASHION journalist Susannah Constantine says she has had a “sleep divorce” – and now has a separate bedroom from husband Sten.
It has, she reckons, saved her marriage.
As someone who has long been an advocate of solo sleep arrangements, it baffles me why or how anyone thinks sharing a bed is fun, comfy or conducive to sleep.
The number of nights/years I have furiously thrashed around in the dark, lying there WIDE AWAKE and absolutely SEETHING as partners blissfully snore, fart and snuffle around like a truffling pig doesn’t bare thinking about.
We really need to stop stigmatising separate beds – it’s the only failsafe to conjugal sanity.
Ex-MP Nad is no 007
NADINE DORRIES would do well never to consider a career in the secret services.
The former MP lasted all of 11 seconds before cracking under not-especially-tough pressure from LBC radio’s Iain Dale.
After steadfastly insisting she would never, ever, ever name the government adviser who allegedly altered a letter she wrote to ex-PM Boris Johnson, just nanoseconds – and two questions – later, out it all poured.
“Well, I believe it was Dougie Smith,” she blurted with absolutely no embarrassment.
LOL.
KUCHISABISHII is a Japanese phrase meaning “lonely mouth”.
It means eating for the sake of it because you’re bored, or sad.
Never has a language spoken to me more.
All of us were in team Terry
TERRY VENABLES was that rare beast – someone universally popular in the most tribal of sports.
As the great man himself once said: “Certain people are for me and certain people are pro me.”
RIP, El Tel.
I’VE just returned from five nights in Cyprus, where it rained for 90 per cent of the time.
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Helpfully, when internetting “things to do in Paphos in bad weather”, local Google’s No1 suggestion was “build a pillow fort”.
So that was my week sorted, then.