Summary
Writer Kate Herron reveals how showrunner Russell T Davies greenlit the Fifteenth Doctor’s brief Regency romance with bounty hunter Rogue inDoctor Whoseason 14. The director behindLokiseason 1 andSex Educationseason 1 united with Briony Redman to write an adventure that saw the Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa) and companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) encounter a race of shapeshifting aliens at a 19th century ball. While Rogue (Jonathan Groff) and the Doctor were initially at odds, the pair were eventually able to open up to one another and share romantic moments inDoctor Whoseason 14 episode 6.
Herron and Redman explained how they pitched their idea for the Doctor’s blossoming relationship in the latest episode ofDoctor Who: Unleashed.Wanting to feature a queer romance from the beginning, Davies quickly approved of Herron and Redman’s pitch, and the pair set out to create a romantic interest who perfectly contrasted with the Doctor. Check out Herron’s full explanation below:
Out of the gate, I was like, “Well, look, I love romance. Like, can we do like, a queer romance?” And he [Davies] was like “Absolutely.” So, yeah, so I think that was always, like, I guess the center of it for us, and the heart of the story. Ncuti’s interpretation is so extroverted, so we were like, “Well let’s make them a bit more of an introvert, because that will just be fun, and you know, opposites attract.”
Doctor Who Season 14 Cast & Character Guide: Who Appears In Each Episode
Doctor Who season 14 is Ncuti Gatwa’s first full outing as the Doctor, and he is joined by an exciting cast of newcomers and familiar faces.
The Fifteenth Doctor’s Romance Is A Major Step, For Both Doctor Who & Major Franchises
The Doctor’s Queerness Isn’t Just A Throwaway Line
While Fifteen and Rogue’s romance is far from the first time the Doctor shared a bond with a member of the same sex, as seen with Nine and Jack Harkness' flirtations and kiss, and the unfulfilled relationship between Thirteen and Yaz Khan, it is nevertheless an important tale. Previously, the Doctor’s significant love interests, be they one-off or recurring characters, had been of the opposite sex. As such, the Doctor and Rogue’s romance is a significant step inDoctor Who’s on-screen LGBTQ+ representation.
Furthermore, Herron incorporating a queer love story into her time writing forDoctor Whoallowed her and Davies to address a common critique of major franchises' handling of LGBTQ+ romance from her time in the MCU. While Herron canonized Loki and Sylvie as bisexual inLokiand broke ground for the series, many, including Davies, critiqued the brief line as a “feeble gesture,” something Herron partially agreed with. With “Rogue,” the creatives dug deeper into the Doctor’s sexuality so that it was more than just a token gesture.
Though far from the only queerlove story inDoctor Who, the Fifteenth Doctor and Rogue’s short-lived romance is a vital step in terms of how the series handles LGBTQ+ stories. The Doctor is one of the most resilient and oldest sci-fi heroes in pop culture. Herron, Redman, and Davies' work has allowed his tale to touch the hearts of queer viewers who may relate to him through their own lives. Additionally, with Rogue asking the Doctor to find him, there may be more to this relationship yet to come.
Doctor Whoreleases new episodes every Friday simultaneously on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on July 20, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
