More than 7.6 million people watched the recent Doctor Who special “The Star Beast” where longtime favorites David Tennent and Catherine Tate returned to their roles as The Doctor and Donna Noble.
The episode also featured the debut of Donna Noble’s transgender daughter Rose, played by Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney, and a scene where the Doctor asks an alien about pronouns.
Unfortunately, around .0000189 percent of those viewers had a problem with the episode and its trans inclusion.
The BBC has reported that it received 144 complaints from disgruntled viewers about “The Star Beast,” specifically the inclusion of a trans character. Some of the complaints said the character was “anti-male” while others said it was an “inappropriate inclusion of [a] transgender character.”
The special didn’t just feature a trans actress — her character’s transness was a part of the story. In one scene, Donna is talking to her mother about how much she loves her daughter and how she fears she’ll mess up or say the wrong thing.
In another scene, Rose corrects The Doctor when he assumes that an alien uses he/him pronouns. “My chosen pronoun is the definite article. I am always The Meep,” The Meep says.
“Oh, I do that,” The Doctor replies.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies had stated before the special aired that he has no time for homophobes who want to complain about the show. Back in November, Davies was speaking to British press outlets when he brought up that there are people “full of absolute hate and venom and destruction and violence who would like to see that sort of thing wiped off the screen entirely.”
“Shame on you and good luck to you in your lonely lives,” he said to them.
You can currently stream The Star Beast on Disney+.