Doctor Who writer says same-sex romance will be handled "delicately"
Easter special co-writer Ella Road opens up on what to expect from the Doctor and Yaz.
In Doctor Who’s New Year’s Day special, it was finally confirmed that longtime companion Yaz (Mandip Gill) had feelings for The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), with the pair’s romantic tension set to develop in the upcoming Easter special Legend of the Sea Devils.
And now the new special’s co-writer Ella Road has opened up about the process of writing the same-sex romantic storyline, noting that the production team were keen to handle the relationship “delicately”.
“I mean, I guess once those conversations had been opened up, they need to be continued,” Road told RadioTimes.com. “I think that we were all keen to make sure that we were handling all of that stuff delicately.
“Basically, there were conversations that needed to be had based on what was happening in the episode before. And so we continued to have them. But, yeah, that’s all I can say.”
Road noted that balancing this character-based storyline with the adventurous aliens n’ pirates n’ sci-fi plot of Legend of the Sea Devils was a big challenge, but one she relished tackling alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall.
“For me, again, it was like being able to engage with human relationship conversations amid the epicness and the fun of all the swashbuckling,” she told us. “It was a really fun challenge.”
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Altogether, it’s clear that this aspect of the Doctor Who Easter special was something that Road took seriously – even amidst all the high-octane fun and rubbery sea monsters.
“For me, whatever the project is, I need to believe in what it’s saying at the heart of it,” she told us. “I believe that escapism is desperately important, particularly in the times that we’re living in. I want to work in the space of thrills and spectacle and escapism.
“But I also can’t lose sight of the fact that the reason I started writing was because I had stuff to say – and I still have stuff to say.”
For more from Ella Road and Chris Chibnall, check out the latest edition of the Radio Times magazine, on sale now. Subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door, and for more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Read more about Doctor Who:
- Jodie Whittaker on "revisiting" the Doctor after wrapping Doctor Who
- Jodie Whittaker to star in new Doctor Who audio drama spin-off
- Steven Moffat "can confidently say" he’s done with Doctor Who
- Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils air time and episode length confirmed
- Doctor Who’s next episode had a "mad, accelerated" production
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 17th April. All 13 series of Doctor Who are available to watch now on Prime Video – sign up for a Prime Video free trial.
For more news, interviews and features, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
