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David Tennant and Catherine Tate are both returning to TV's Doctor Who as part of the programme's 60th anniversary. David Tennant will star as the Fourteenth Doctor, which for the first time will be a new incarnation of a previous Doctor. He was in the series as the Tenth Doctor from June 2005 until January 2010. Catherine Tate comes back as Donna Noble, a role she's played alongside David Tennant a couple of times, most natably in the Christmas special of Doctor Who in 2006.
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Every time the Doctor regenerates, the programme itself seems to regenerates too, transforming into something different. These brand new 2023 specials are no different. They are written by the gay Who fanatic Russell T Davies and will air each weekend on BBC1 to celebrate the sci-fi programme's 60th anniversary from 25 November to 9 December.

Neil Patrick Harris is set to guest star as the Celestial Toymaker, alongside returning cast members Jacqueline King, Karl Collins, Bernard Cribbins and Jemma Redgrave, together with a newcomer Yasmin Finney. The specials also coincide with a multitude of new media and re-releases to celebrate the show's 60th anniversary.

But what is so special about Doctor Who - and why is it so popular with us gay boys?

Well, Alex's was a familiar story. He says he knew from the age of three. It was something he felt inexplicably drawn to writes Christopher Kelly. The feelings never went away. At school the difference between him and the other boys became ever more apparent. While his friends played football on a Saturday afternoon, Alex stayed at home.

As Alex got older he realised there were others like him. The Sisterhood of Karn is an "earth-based group of gay people united in their interest of Doctor Who and cult TV". You got it. Queer anoraks? Sad no hopers with no life?

Alex, a sister for many of the group's twenty years, is aware of the stigma attached to the series. "I know some people who would rather come out as gay than as a Doctor Who fan," he says, adding: "I've always been out in both senses." Has he ever been Who bashed? He hasn't we are pleased to say, but he's used to people taking the piss once they discover his enthusiasm for the long-running sci-fi drama. Photo: Various - CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Alex's partner, Richard, is also a Who fanatic. The pair met at a Sisterhood of Karn meeting more than ten years ago. Richard blames the "obsessives" for the unfair flack thrown at the fans. He argues that just as not all gay people dress in drag, then not all fans of Doctor Who wear long scarves and eat jelly babies. "Not every fan allows (Doctor Who) to overwhelm their lives," says Richard. "It's just something that's fun."

Richard watched Doctor Who as a boy and started collecting the videos when he was a student. Now he's got the lot, more than a hundred of them. And of course he's now having to recollect the entire set on DVD.

To entice the fans to replicate their collections - i.e. to extract more dosh for the same old toss - for this 60 anniversary the BBC have setup a special Doctor Who Shop which sells everything from personalised Doctor Who Memorabilia to Art Prints, Cushions, Mugs, Magnets, T-Shirts and even items of homeware like Clocks, Tea Towels and Cushions. But will people buy the items? "Yes, I've been brainwashed," admits Richard.

Photo: Evan Moss
CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Sisterhood of Karn are a group of gay men of all ages and professions gather to discuss and exchange sci-fi ideas. "We're a bunch of friends who have a similar interest," says Richard. "It's just a social thing."

For some reason, science fiction seems to attract more gay followers than straight ones. And Doctor Who has proportionally more gay fans than any other cult sci-fi series. So why the huge gay appeal? Alex puts it down to Doctor Who being strangely sexless. Much like its fans. "Most TV series tend to have a great deal of romantic interest within them, but Doctor Who never did," says Alex. The theory being then that a kid growing up gay could watch Doctor Who without feeling alienated. Get it.

Richard comes up with another reason why gay kids may have tapped particularly into Doctor Who. "Doctor Who is very non-macho and stands up to baddies without using physical force. Which is comparable to how gay people learn to stand up to bigots," he says. Richard even goes as far as to imply that Doctor Who was gay. "What people don't realise is his female assistants were a bunch of fag hags."

But getting back to the Sisterhood of Karn, what exactly goes on at these meetings? "We play videos," answers Alex. "And shout out the lines in a Rocky Horror kind of a way." The group also arranges outings to famous locations featured in the series, and is currently trying to organise a weekend excursion to the moons of Saturn. "Although," says Alex, "funding maybe a stumbling block."

The Sisterhood Of Karn on Twitter

Doctor Who - The Star Beast will be broadcast on BBC1 on Saturday 25th November 2023 at 6.30pm.

 

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