For the past few years, Doctor Who has been criticised for first having a female Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), and later a Black, queer actor as the Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa). The show's decline in quality has been blamed on its apparent "wokeness," though that argument lacks context.
It just so happens that Whittaker's stint in the TARDIS coincided with Chris Chibnall taking over creative duties from Steven Moffat. The latter left big shoes to fill, and the Doctor's gender had little to do with the noticeable decline in storytelling quality.
As for Russell T Davies's Doctor Who return, while his episodes were a little heavy-handed on the "woke" themes, the consensus was that he'd primarily lost his touch when it came to sci-fi storytelling. Gatwa, meanwhile, was reportedly never fully invested in the role.
Peter Capaldi had a critically acclaimed run as Doctor Who's lead, and dismissed criticisms of his successors in a recent interview with The Times (via SFFGazette.com).
When the publication put it to The Suicide Squad star that there have been complaints about the show's "excessive wokeness" about Whittaker and Gatwa, Capaldi replied, "It reflects its times, and it's a good thing in the world, though it's become a bit too big, too important for the BBC or whoever."
Admitting he no longer keeps up with Doctor Who, the actor added, "When I was a kid and watched it, it was just a monster show in the corner of the room. I dunno why people take it so seriously."
Following Gatwa's departure—a result of reshoots—and the apparent introduction of Billie Piper's Doctor, the show is on hiatus. Davies is writing a Christmas Special that's widely expected to serve as a passing of the torch to whoever is next to take the reins of the long-running series.
Recently, Davies shared his take on the Doctor Who backlash when he said, "I think they are different things. I know they’re different things, I absolutely know that. And that online voice, which is hostile, exists on X, which is a hate site. We shouldn’t be surprised to find hatred on it, because it’s a hate site. It’s very dangerously assumed that that is the fan voice."
Adding that he understands that longtime Doctor Who fans don't "have to like the show," his hope is they can respectfully "have a great time disagreeing."
"Fandom is creative and brilliant and fun, but it’s all getting soured," Davies continued. "Turn those phones off for anyone under 16, chuck them in the bin. I literally am evangelical about it."
It's previously been reported that the series could take a break or return for much shorter seasons that are cost-effective for the BBC. That's one way to keep it going, and some fans will argue that Doctor Who was always at its best when it was forced to get creative and deliver the types of stories you wouldn't necessarily see in big-budget series (which is what it became with Disney+'s input).
Keep checking back here for updates on the Whoniverse as we have them.