Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has hit back at critics who claim the show has become too "woke", dismissing such complaints as "toxic".
The 61-year-old Welsh screenwriter told BBC Radio 2 he has "no time" for those who take issue with the programme's diversity.
Davies's comments come as the latest series of Doctor Who continues to divide fans, with some blasting the show for too many "woke" storylines and themes.
Series 15 sees the return of Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor alongside newcomer Varada Sethu as his companion, Belinda Chandra.
Davies has slammed 'woke' criticism of the show
Getty
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Davies was emphatic in his defence against "woke" criticisms.
"Someone always brings up matters of diversity. And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues," he said.
"I don't have a second to bear it. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door," Davies declared.
The 61-year-old expanded on his rejection of these criticisms during the radio programme Doctor Who: 20 Secrets from 20 Years.
When asked if he consciously writes diverse themes into the show, he responded: "I don't even know if it's conscious. That's life, and I think it's the only way to write."
Davies challenged critics with a series of rhetorical questions: "Why limit yourself? Why breathe in the exhaust fumes? Why be toxic?"
Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu star in the new series of Doctor Who
BBC
Instead, he invited people to "come over here where the life and light and air and sound is".
Davies, who previously revived the series in 2005, suggested that writing with a "narrow window" would be more difficult.
New Doctor Who star Sethu has also addressed the "woke" criticisms.
"There's been a couple of Doctor Woke (references) or whatever," she told Radio Times. "But I just think we're doing the right thing if we're getting comments like that."
Sethu offered her own definition of the term that critics use disparagingly.
"Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people. And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing."
Despite defending the show, rumours remain of Garwa's exit
BBC
She recalled that Gatwa had predicted their casting would "p*** off so many people" as they are the first duo in the Tardis to not feature any white actors.
Despite his enthusiasm, rumours persist that Gatwa is considering leaving the show to pursue other projects.
"Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him," an insider told The Sun in February.
"His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.
"The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership.
"People warned some episodes were getting too caught up on an agenda rather than telling a story and those people got shouted down, ignored," the insider added.
