Representation in New Who
So! I’ve been thinking about New Who in terms of representation- the various tropes the writers employ and what it seems to say about race and sexuality and gender. This is more of a resource than any sort of real comment, because it takes me a long time to come up with coherent meta.
Anyway, click the link and you’ll find stuff underneath.
Characters of colour
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| Rose | Mickey | No | No | ||
| The End Of The World | Jabe (?) | Yes (Jabe) | Yes | Jabe is a ‘tree’, and so not meant to represent a human, but she is played by a black actress |
|
| The Unquiet Dead | |||||
| Aliens of London | Mickey | Indra, Toshiko, the Asian couple at Jackie’s flat | Yes (Indra) | No | |
| World War III | Mickey | No | No | ||
| Dalek | |||||
| The Long Game | Cathica | No | No | ||
| Father’s Day | Mickey (young) | ||||
| The Empty Child | |||||
| The Doctor Dances | |||||
| Boomtown | Mickey | No | No | ||
| Bad Wolf | Roderick, Crosby, unnamed female programmer | Yes (Crosby) | No | ||
| The Parting Of The Ways | Mickey | Roderick, unnamed female programmer | Yes (Roderick, unnamed female programmer) | No |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Christmas Invasion | Mickey | Major Blake | Yes (Major Blake) | No | |
| New Earth | Mickey | Sister Jatt(?) | No | No | |
| Tooth And Claw | |||||
| School Reunion | Mickey | Mr Wagner | Yes (Mr Wagner) | No | |
| The Girl In The Fireplace | Mickey | Katherine | No | No | |
| Rise Of The Cybermen | Mickey | Ricky, Ricky’s gran, The President | Yes (The President) | No | |
| The Age Of Steel | Mickey | Ricky | Yes (Ricky) | No | |
| The Idiots Lantern | |||||
| The Impossible Planet | Zach, Danny, unnamed security guard | ||||
| The Satan Pit | Zach, Danny, unnamed security guard | Yes (unnamed security guard) | No | ||
| Love And Monsters | Bliss | Yes | Yes | ||
| Fear Her | Chloe, Trish, Kel | No | No | ||
| Army Of Ghosts | Mickey | Adeola, Dr Singh, Trisha Goddard, some other newsreaders | Yes (Adeola) | No | |
| Doomsday | Mickey | Dr Singh | Yes (Dr Singh) | No |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Runaway Bride | Lance | Yes (Lance) | Yes | ||
| Smith And Jones | Martha | Julia, Francine, Clive, Tish, Leo | No | No | |
| The Shakespeare Code | Martha | No | No | Martha brings up the question of racism here, but it’s slightly glossed over |
|
| Gridlock | Martha | Cheen | No | No | |
| Daleks In Manhatten | Martha | Solomon | No | No | |
| Evolution Of The Daleks | Martha | Solomon | Yes (Solomon) | No | |
| The Lazarus Experiment | Martha | Tish, Francine, Leo | No | No | |
| 42 | Martha | Erina, Francine | Yes (Erina) | No | |
| Human Nature | Martha | No | No | Martha has to face racism in this- which begs the question of why the Doctor thought the 1910s were a decent place to hide |
|
| The Family Of Blood | Martha | No | No | ||
| Blink | Martha | Billy | Yes (Billy) | No | |
| Utopia | Martha | No | No | ||
| The Sound Of Drums | Martha | Francine, Clive, Tish, Leo, Leo’s wife and baby | No | No | |
| The Last Of The Time Lords | Martha | Francine, Clive, Tish, Leo | No | No |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| Voyage Of The Damned | Morvin, the kitchen staff member who speaks to Alonso | Yes | Yes | An old trope- the black man dies first. In this case…twice. | |
| Partners In Crime | Penny | No | No | Penny (who has been generally brave and clever) is passed over in favour of Donna |
|
| The Fires Of Pompeii | |||||
| Planet Of The Ood | Solana | ||||
| The Sontaran Stratagem | Martha | Private Grey | Yes (Private Grey) | No | |
| The Poison Sky | Martha | Clone Martha | Yes (Clone Martha) | No | |
| The Doctor’s Daughter | Martha | No | No | ||
| The Unicorn and the Wasp | Mrs Chandrakala | Yes (Mrs Chandrakala) | Yes | There was a dodgy joke cut out of this, see me rant about it here | |
| Silence In The Library | Other Dave, Anita, Dr Moon | No | No | ||
| Forest Of The Dead | Other Dave, Anita, Dr Moon | Yes (Other Dave, Anita) | No | Dr Moon never technically existed as a person? But he’s still there at the end. |
|
| Midnight | DeeDee, The Hostess | Yes (The Hostess) | No | The Hostess never gets a name- although RTD may have been trying to make a deliberate point here about the Doctor’s privileged position, I don’t know |
|
| Turn Left | The Fortune Teller, Captain Magambo, Mr Chowdry | Yes | No | Martha dies offscreen | |
| The Stolen Earth | Martha | Suzanne, Francine | Yes (Suzanne) | No | |
| Journey’s End | Martha, Mickey | Francine, unnamed woman killed by Daleks, unnamed man at Osterhagen Station, Anna Zhou |
Yes | No |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Next Doctor | Rosita | No | No | ||
| Planet Of The Dead | Barclay, Carmen, Lou, Captain Magambo | No | No | ||
| Waters Of Mars | Tarak, Maggie, Mia | Yes (all except Mia) | No | ||
| The End Of Time pt 1 | Joshua Naismith, Abigail Naismith, Shaun Temple | No | No | All these characters are temporaily turned into the white Master | |
| The End Of Time pt 2 | Mickey, Martha | Joshua Naismith, Abigail Naismith, Shaun Temple | No | No |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Eleventh Hour | Dr Ramsden | Yes | Yes | We don’t actually see Ramsden die, so there’s a chance she survived | |
| The Beast Below | Liz 10, the Winder | No | No | ||
| Victory of the Daleks | |||||
| The Time Of Angels | One of the Clerics | No | No | ||
| Flesh and Stone | One of the Clerics | Yes (the Cleric) | Yes | ||
| Vampires of Venice | Guido, Isabella | Yes (both Guido and Isabella) | Yes | ||
| Amy’s Choice | |||||
| The Hungry Earth | Nasreen | No | No | ||
| Cold Blood | Nasreen | No | No | ||
| Vincent and the Doctor | |||||
| The Lodger | Steve, the woman lured in by the spaceship | Yes | No | ||
| The Pandorica Opens | Liz 10 | No | No | ||
| The Big Bang | Christine, Amelia’s psychiatrist | No | No |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| A Christmas Carol | |||||
| The Impossible Astronaut | Waiter in diner, Carl the FBI man | No | No | ||
| Day Of The Moon | Carl the FBI man, homeless man | No | No | Canton’s unseen and unnamed other half | |
| Curse of the Black Spot | Pirate | No | No | ||
| The Doctor’s Wife | |||||
| The Rebel Flesh | |||||
| The Almost People | |||||
| A Good Man Goes To War | Colonel Manton, Lorna | Yes | No | Colonel Manton is very much the bad guy | |
| Let’s Kill Hitler | Melody (?) | Melody | Hard to say | Ditto | Mels regenerates into the white Alex Kingston- not a death as such, but she still turns from a black character to a white one |
| Night Terrors | |||||
| The Girl Who Waited | Yes | Yes | |||
| The God Complex | Rita | Yes | Yes | ||
| Closing Time | Shona, George, the little boy | Yes | No | ..No only if you count the little boy | |
| The Wedding of River Song |
| Episode | POC regulars | POC others | One or more POC characters dead by end of episode | All POC characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe | |||||
| Asylum of the Daleks | Harvey | Yes | Yes | ||
| Dinosaurs On A Spaceship | Nefertiti, Indira | No | No | The two aforementioned women do briefly talk to each other, too | |
| A Town Called Mercy | The Preacher | No | No | ||
| The Power Of Three | Ranjit (Rory’s friend) | No | No | ||
| The Angels Take Manhattan | Hood | No | No | ||
| The Snowmen | Clara’s friend | Clara’s friend never shows up again! | |||
| The Bells Of St John | Angie and Artie Maitland | Nabile (the man in the wifi at the beginning), Alexei, Mr Maitland | No | No | |
| The Rings Of Akhaten | |||||
| Cold War | |||||
| Hide | Hila | No | No | ||
| Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS | Gregor, Tricky and Bram Van Baalen | No | No | They die, but come back! | |
| The Crimson Horror | Angie and Artie Maitland | No | No | ||
| Nightmare In Silver | Angie and Artie Maitland | Beauty | No | No | |
| The Name Of The Doctor | Angie and Artie Maitland | No | No |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters
(I’ve counted River, with a question mark, just because some of the things she’s said gives me a feeling she’s not straight)
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| Rose | |||||
| The End Of The World | Cassandra | Yes | Yes (but she comes back) | Cassandra says she grew up a boy, so she counts? | |
| The Unquiet Dead | |||||
| Aliens of London | |||||
| World War III | |||||
| Dalek | |||||
| The Long Game | Cathica announces “Ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided or robot-“ | ||||
| The Empty Child | Jack | Algy | No | No | |
| The Doctor Dances | Jack | Algy | No | No | Nancy blackmails the man who catches her by threatening to expose his affair with another man |
| Boomtown | Jack | No | No | ||
| Bad Wolf | Jack | No | No | ||
| The Parting Of The Ways | Jack | No | No | Well, Jack does die, but then comes back to life |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Christmas Invasion | |||||
| New Earth | Cassandra | Yes | Yes | ||
| Tooth And Claw | |||||
| School Reunion | |||||
| The Girl In The Fireplace | |||||
| Rise Of The Cybermen | Ricky, Jake (?) | No | No | ||
| The Age Of Steel | Ricky, Jake (?) | Yes | No | Ricky and Jake were orignally written as gay, but it never made it in | |
| The Idiots Lantern | Tommy was originally written as gay | ||||
| The Impossible Planet | |||||
| The Satan Pit | |||||
| Love And Monsters | Elton mentions a old female couple who live in his old home | ||||
| Fear Her | |||||
| Army Of Ghosts | |||||
| Doomsday |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Runaway Bride | |||||
| Smith And Jones | |||||
| The Shakespeare Code | Shakespeare | No | No | ||
| Gridlock | The old couple | No | No | ||
| Daleks In Manhatten | No | No | |||
| Evolution Of The Daleks | |||||
| The Lazarus Experiment | |||||
| 42 | |||||
| Human Nature | |||||
| The Family Of Blood | |||||
| Blink | |||||
| Utopia | Jack | No | No | Well, he doesn’t stay dead | |
| The Sound Of Drums | Jack | No | No | ||
| The Last Of The Time Lords | Jack | No | No |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| Voyage Of The Damned | |||||
| Partners In Crime | |||||
| The Fires Of Pompeii | |||||
| Planet Of The Ood | |||||
| The Sontaran Stratagem | Donna mentions an old boyfriend who moved in with a man | ||||
| The Poison Sky | |||||
| The Doctor’s Daughter | Donna mentions a friend who had twins with a turkey baster, she might have been a lesbian | ||||
| The Unicorn and the Wasp | Yes | No | |||
| Silence In The Library | River? | ||||
| Forest Of The Dead | River? | Yes? | Yes? | River lives on, sort of | |
| Midnight | Sky | Yes | Yes | ||
| Turn Left | |||||
| The Stolen Earth | Jack | Ianto | No | No | |
| Journey’s End | Jack | Ianto | No | No |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Next Doctor | |||||
| Planet Of The Dead | |||||
| Waters Of Mars | Yuri mentions in passing that his brother has a husband | ||||
| The End Of Time pt 1 | |||||
| The End Of Time pt 2 | Jack | No | No | Alonso? |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Eleventh Hour | Jeff was originally meant to be written as gay (presumably they’d have cut the ‘get a girlfriend’ line) |
||||
| The Beast Below | |||||
| Victory of the Daleks | |||||
| The Time Of Angels | River? | ||||
| Flesh and Stone | River? | ||||
| Vampires of Venice | |||||
| Amy’s Choice | |||||
| The Hungry Earth | |||||
| Cold Blood | |||||
| Vincent and the Doctor | |||||
| The Lodger | Craig mentions the Doctor might want to bring a boyfriend home | ||||
| The Pandorica Opens | River? | ||||
| The Big Bang | River? |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| A Christmas Carol | |||||
| The Impossible Astronaut | River? | Canton | No | No | |
| Day Of The Moon | River? | Canton | No | No | Canton’s unseen and unnamed other half |
| Curse of the Black Spot | |||||
| The Doctor’s Wife | |||||
| The Rebel Flesh | |||||
| The Almost People | |||||
| A Good Man Goes To War | River ?, Madame Vastra, Jenny | The Fat Thin Gay Married Anglican Marines | Yes- the Fat One dies | No | The marines actually did get named in DWA- they’re Dominicus and Lucas, although I dunno which is which |
| Let’s Kill Hitler | River? | ||||
| Night Terrors | |||||
| The Girl Who Waited | |||||
| The God Complex | |||||
| Closing Time | River (?) | The running joke is that the Doctor and Craig are a gay couple- I think this could either be taken as homophobic (gay panic) or anti-homophobic (everyone is completely fine with a gay couple having a kid) depending on your pov | |||
| The Wedding Of River Song | River (?) |
| Episode | LGBT regulars | LGBT others | One or more LGBT characters dead by end of episode | All LGBT characters dead by end of episode | But/also |
| The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe | |||||
| Asylum of the Daleks | |||||
| Dinosaurs On A Spaceship | No | No | |||
| A Town Called Mercy | |||||
| The Power Of Three | Laura (Amy’s friend) | No | No | She’s the one marrying her girlfriend | |
| The Angels Take Manhattan | River ? | No | No | ||
| The Snowmen | Madame Vastra | ||||
| The Bells Of St John | |||||
| The Rings Of Akhaten | |||||
| Cold War | |||||
| Hide | |||||
| Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS | |||||
| The Crimson Horror | Madame Vastra, Jenny | ||||
| Nightmare In Silver | |||||
| The Name Of The Doctor | River ?, Madame Vastra, Jenny |
The Bechdel Test
(Bechdel test)
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| Rose | Yes – Rose, Jackie, Clive’s wife | Yes -Rose/Jackie | Yep- about Rose’s job and her getting compensation |
| The End Of The World | Yes – Rose, Jabe, Cassandra, Jackie, Rafalo | Yes – Rose/Rafalo, Rose/Jackie and Rose/Cassandra | Sort of in the case of Rose/Rafalo- they talk about other things before Rose mentions the Doctor- yes in the case of Rose/Jackie and Rose/Cassandra |
| The Unquiet Dead | Yes – Rose, Gwyneth | Yes | Yes- they do talk about boys, but also ‘the angels’ and other things |
| Aliens of London | Yes – Rose, Harriet, Jackie, Margaret | Yes | Yep – Jackie has a tearful conversation with Rose |
| World War III | Yes – Rose, Harriet, Jackie, Margaret | Yes | Yep- Rose and Harriet exchange a few lines, Jackie pleads with Rose not to leave |
| Dalek | Yes- Rose, Diane, the female soldier | No | No |
| The Long Game | Yes- Rose, Cathica, Suki | Yes | Yep -Suki and Cathica talk about their job |
| Father’s Day | Yes- Rose, Jackie, Sarah | Yes -Rose/Jackie | No – Rose and Jackie talk about Pete |
| The Empty Child | Yes- Rose, Nancy | No | No |
| The Doctor Dances | Yes – Rose, Nancy | Yes | Rose reassures Nancy that Britain wins the war |
| Boomtown | Yes- Rose, Margaret | No | No |
| Bad Wolf | Yes- Rose, Lynda, Crosby, unnamed female programmer, the Ann Droid, Trin-E and Zu-Zana, the many speaking extras |
If the Ann Droid counts as a female character, yes | Rose argues with the Ann Droid |
| The Parting Of The Ways | Yes – Rose, Lynda, Jackie, unnamed female programmer, many speaking extras |
Yes | Not sure- Rose and Jackie exchange lots of words, but it is mostly about the Doctor or Pete |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| The Christmas Invasion | Yes – Rose, Jackie, Harriet, Sally | Yes | Rose and Jackie discuss Harriet, and later the christmas tree, briefly. Jackie talks on the phone to an unseen female friend. Harriet and Sally talk about the Sycorax. |
| New Earth | Yes- Rose, Jackie, Cassandra, Sister Jatt, Matron Casp, a few other Cat Nuns | Yes – Rose/Cassandra, Jatt/Casp | Rose and Cassandra insult each other, Jatt and Casp talk about their patient (who is a man, but they’re not seeing him as even human, and concerned only with their work- I think it counts) |
| Tooth And Claw | Yes- Rose, Queen Victoria, | ||
| School Reunion | Yes- Rose, Sarah Jane, | Yes – Rose/Sarah Jane | Rose and Sarah Jane talk a lot about the Doctor, but they do mention other things over the course of their brief rivalry |
| The Girl In The Fireplace | Yes- Rose, Reinette, Katherine | Yes – Rose/Reinette and Reinette/Katherine | No -Rose/Reinette talk about the Doctor, Reinette/Katherine talk about the King |
| Rise Of The Cybermen | Yes- Rose, altJackie, Rita-Ann, Mrs Moore | Yes | Rose and altJackie talk |
| The Age Of Steel | Yes- Rose, altJackie, Jackie, Mrs Moore | No | No |
| The Idiots Lantern | Yes- Rose, The Wire, | Yes | Rose and the Wire exchange a few words |
| The Impossible Planet | Yes- Rose, Ida, Scooti | No -although Scooti does say one line to Rose ‘You’re not one of those Friends Of The Ood, are you?’ |
No |
| The Satan Pit | Yes- Rose, Ida | No | No |
| Love And Monsters | Yes- Rose, Jackie, Ursula, Bliss, Bridget, Elton’s mum | Sort of | The women of LINDA exchange some words |
| Fear Her | Yes- Rose, Chloe, Trish | Yes | Trish and Chloe have many conversations |
| Army Of Ghosts | Yes- Rose, Jackie, Yvonne, Adeola | Yes | Rose and Jackie mostly just talk about Rose’s grandad’s ghost, but Adeola and Yvonne have a brief exchange |
| Doomsday | Yes- Rose, Jackie, Yvonne | Yes | Jackie shouts at Yvonne |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| The Runaway Bride | Yes – Donna, Sylvia, Nerys, the Racnoss | Yes | Yes- Donna and her female relatives/friends exchange words, and later she threatens the Racnoss |
| Smith And Jones | Yes- Martha, Tish, Francine, Julia, Annalise, the Plasmavore | Yes | Yes- Martha and Tish talk on the phone, Martha and Julia talk about the mysterious happening, Francine and Annalise argue |
| The Shakespeare Code | Yes- Martha, Lilth, Queen Elizabeth, the barmaid, the other Carrionites | Yes | The Carrionites discuss their plans |
| Gridlock | Yes- Martha, Cheen, Novice Hame, Valerie, the Cassinis | Yes | Martha and Cheen talk, the Cassinis talk |
| Daleks In Manhattan | Yes- Martha, Tallulah | Yes | No – they talk about the men in their lives |
| Evolution Of The Daleks | Yes – Martha, Tallulah | Yes | Martha and Tallulah work out the Dalekanium |
| The Lazarus Experiment | Yes – Martha, Francine, Tish, Lady Thaw | Yes | Yes |
| 42 | Yes – Martha, Francine, the mysterious blonde woman | Yes | Yes- Martha’s conversations with her mother |
| Human Nature | Yes- Martha, Joan, Jenny (how many Jennys are in this thing?), Sister Of Mine, Mother Of Mine |
Yes | Martha and Jenny talk |
| The Family Of Blood | Yes- Martha, Joan, Sister Of Mine, Mother Of Mine | Yes | Martha gives Joan a verbal smackdown regarding her intelligence |
| Blink | Yes- Martha, Sally, Kathy | Yes | Sally and Kathy talk about their own TV show as they wander into the house |
| Utopia | Yes- Martha, Chantho | Yes | Martha asks Chantho about her speech pattern |
| The Sound Of Drums | Yes- Martha, Francine, Tish, the mysterious blonde woman, Lucy | Yes | No- it’s all about the Master |
| The Last Of The Time Lords | Yes – Martha, Francine, Tish, Lucy, Professor Docherty | Sort of | Martha and Professor Docherty exchange words about the Toclafane, then later Martha gives her flowers- no real conversation, though |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| Voyage Of The Damned | Yes- Astrid, Foon | No | No |
| Partners In Crime | Yes- Donna, Sylvia, Penny, Ms Foster, Stacey, Suzette | Yes | Donna’s conversations with her mother about getting a job, Stacy’s conversation with Donna (she talks about her boyfriend too, so make this one a ‘sort of’?), Ms Foster’s conversation with Penny, Sylvia’s conversation with her friend Suzette |
| The Fires Of Pompeii | Yes – Donna, the Sisterhood, Metella, Evelina | Yes | The Sisterhood to each other and Donna, Donna and Evelina |
| Planet Of The Ood | Yes – Donna, Solana | No | No |
| The Sontaran Stratagem | Yes – Donna, Martha, Sylvia, Jo | Yes | Sylvia tells Donna off for leaving the car keys |
| The Poison Sky | Yes – Donna, Martha, Clone Martha, Sylvia | Yes | Sylvia talks to Donna on the phone, Martha talks to her clone |
| The Doctor’s Daughter | Yes -Donna, Martha, Jenny | Yes | Donna talks to Jenny (and names her) |
| The Unicorn and the Wasp | Yes – Donna, Agatha, Lady Eddison, Robina Redmond, Mrs Chandrakala | Yes | There are short exchanges between most of the ladies |
| Silence In The Library | Yes – Donna, River, Anita, Miss Evangalista | Yes | Donna asks River if she is around in the future |
| Forest Of The Dead | Yes- Donna, River, Anita, Miss Evangalista | Yes | Donna and Miss Evanglista in the park |
| Midnight | Yes- Donna, Skye, DeeDee, Val, The Hostess | Sort of | Everyone talks at once (especially Skye…) but the women do exchange a few statements. Not really a conversation though. |
| Turn Left | Yes- Donna, Rose, Captain Magambo | Yes | Rose and Donna have many conversations about Donna’s destiny |
| The Stolen Earth | Yes – Donna, Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane, Francine, Suzanne, Sylvia, Harriet, Gwen |
Yes | Harriet to the various companions |
| Journey’s End | Yes- Donna, Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane, Francine, Sylvia, Gwen, Jackie, unnamed woman killed by the Daleks, unnamed woman at Osterhagen Station, Anna Zhou |
Yes | Jackie apologises to the unnamed woman, Rose tells Jackie off for coming after her, the woman at the Osterhagen Station tells Martha she’s going to hell, Martha and Anna talk about the Osterhagen Key |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| The Next Doctor | Yes- Rosita, Miss Hartigan | No | No |
| Planet Of The Dead | Yes- Lady Christina, Captain Magambo, Carmen, Angela | No | No |
| The Waters Of Mars | Yes – Adelaide, Mia, Maggie, Steffi | Yes – Adelaide has short conversations with her various female crew members and her daughter |
Yes |
| The End Of Time, part one | Yes – Donna, Sylvia, the mysterious Time Lady, Abigail Naismith, Minnie, Addams | Yes | Donna and Sylvia talk |
| The End Of Time, part two | Yes – Donna, Sylvia, the mysterious Time Lady, Abigail Naismith, Addams, Rose, Jackie, Martha, Sarah Jane, Minnie, Verity |
Yes | No- Jackie and Rose talk about men |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| The Eleventh Hour | Yes- Amy, Amelia, Mrs Angelo, Dr Ramsden | Yes -Amy and Mrs Angelo | No- they talk about the Doctor |
| The Beast Below | Yes- Amy, Liz 10, Mandy | Yes | Amy talks with Mandy |
| Victory of the Daleks | Yes – Amy, Miss Breen | No | No |
| The Time of Angels | Yes – Amy, River | Yes | Amy and River talk mostly about the Doctor, but other things come in too |
| Flesh and Stone | Yes – Amy, River | Yes | Not for long, but they do talk |
| The Vampires of Venice | Yes – Amy, Isabella, Roseanna | Yes -Amy/Isabella, Amy/Roseanna | Amy to Isabella regarding the school, Roseanna to Amy regarding her transformation into a vampire |
| Amy’s Choice | Yes – Amy, Mrs Poggit | No | No |
| The Hungry Earth | Yes – Amy, Nasreen, Ambrose, Alaya | No | No |
| Cold Blood | Yes – Amy, Nasreen, Ambrose, Alaya, Restac | Yes -Ambrose/Alaya and Ambrose/Restac | Ambrose threatens Alaya with torture, and then, well, tortures her- Amy and Nasreen debate with each other (and Eldane, but not all the time) about sharing the Earth- Ambrose later demands that Restac and her army leave the planet alone. |
| Vincent and the Doctor | Yes- Amy, the murdered girl’s mother | No | No |
| The Lodger | Yes- Amy, Sophie, the two women lured in by the spaceship | No | No |
| The Pandorica Opens | Yes- Amy, River | No | No |
| The Big Bang | Yes – Amy, River, Amelia, Aunt Sharon, Amelia’s psycharist, Tabitha | Yes | Yes- Sharon and the psycharist discuss Amelia, Sharon talks to Amelia, Amelia asks who Amy is |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| A Christmas Carol | Yes- Amy, Abigail | No | No |
| The Impossible Astronaut | Yes- Amy, River, the little girl | Yes | Amy asks River about the astronaut suit |
| Day of the Moon | Yes – Amy, River, the little girl, Madam Kovarian | Yes | Amy apologises for shooting the girl |
| The Curse of the Black Spot | Yes – Amy, the Siren, Madam Kovarian | Yes | No – Amy asks the Siren to let Rory go |
| The Doctor’s Wife | Yes – Amy, Idris, Auntie | No | No |
| The Rebel Flesh | Yes – Amy, Jen, Cleaves | Yes | Cleaves gives orders to Jen |
| The Almost People | Yes – Amy, Jen, Cleaves, Madam Kovarian | Yes | Madam Kovarian to Amy |
| A Good Man Goes To War | Yes – Amy, River, Lorna, Madam Vastra, Jenny, Madam Kovarian | Yes (Amy/Kovarian, Vastra/Jenny, Amy/Lorna) | Yes in the case of Vastra/Jenny and Amy/Kovarian, but Amy and Lorna only really talk about the Doctor |
| Let’s Kill Hitler | Yes – Amy, Amelia, Mels, River | Yes | Most of Amy and Mels’ conversations are about the Doctor or Rory, but when the two of them are at school there’s that little talk about Mels always being in trouble |
| Night Terrors | Yes- Amy, Claire, Mrs Rossiter | No | No |
| The Girl Who Waited | Yes- Amy, Older Amy, the Interface, the check-in Girl | Yes | Yes- Amy and the Interface talk, Amy and the check-in girl talk, and while Amy and Older Amy mostly talk about Rory, they talk about other things too, like Amy’s cat |
| The God Complex | Yes- Amy, Rita | No- they only really have one line together ‘Don’t taunt the clown!’ | No |
| Closing Time | Yes- Amy, Sophie, Val, Shona, assorted little girls | Sort of | A little girl asks Amy for her autograph |
| The Wedding Of River Song | Yes- Amy, River, Kovarian | Yep | Amy talks to Kovarian about her daughter before killing her. Later on, Amy and River talk about Kovarian before they move on to the Doctor |
| Episode | More than one woman | Who have a conversation | About something other than a man |
| The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe | Yes – Madge, Lily, Billis, the Wooden Queen, Amy | Yes (Madge and her daughter, Madge and Billis) | Yes – (although it’s worth pointing out that Billis isn’t actually named and we only know her name from the credits.) |
| Asylum of the Daleks | Yes – Amy, Oswin, Amy’s make-up assistant, Darla | Not really, Amy and Oswin only share one line. “Looks like someone’s never been to Scotland” | |
| Dinosaurs on a Spaceship | Yes – Amy, Nefertiti | Yes | Yes, Amy fangirls over Nefertiti |
| A Town Called Mercy | Yes – Amy, Sadie, the narrator | No | No |
| The Power Of Three | Yes – Amy, Kate, Laura | Yes | Yes – Amy and Kate exchange words when Kate is showing her and the Doctor round the tower |
| The Angels Take Manhattan | Yes- Amy, River | Yes | No, their conversations are about the Doctor |
| The Snowmen | Yes- Clara, Madame Vastra, Jenny, the Ice Governess, Francesca, Alice, Clara’s friend | Yes | Yes, all the women talk about lots of things |
| The Bells of St John | Yes- Clara, Angie, Miss Kizlet | Yes -Clara and Angie have a conversation at the beginning | Yes |
| The Rings of Akhaten | Yes- Clara, Ellie, Merry | Yes | Yes, Ellie tells her daughter she will always protect her and Clara talks to Merry about being brave |
| Cold War | No, just Clara. First episode so far to have just one female role | ||
| Hide | Yes- Clara, Emma, Hila | Yes | Yes, Clara and Emma do talk about the Doctor but they talk about other things too |
| Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS | No- second episode so far to have just one female role (although the TARDIS is referred to as ‘she’) | No | No |
| The Crimson Horror | Yes – Clara, Madame Vastra, Jenny, Miss Gillyflower, Ada, Angie | Yes | Yes, a lot |
| Nightmare in Silver | Yes – Clara, Alice, Angie, Beauty, Missy | Yes | Yes |
| The Name Of The Doctor | Yes – Clara, River, Madame Vastra, Jenny | Yes | Yes |
I would have mentioned characters with disablities, but there’s so few of them there didn’t seem like much point…
Also! This will be updated as new episodes air. Tell me anything I’ve missed! :D
edited 13/9 – Added notes about (among others!) the death of the Fat One, Amy and Nasreen’s debate, Rose and Raffalo’s conversation, the women in The Christmas Invasion, the Cat Nuns, Partners In Crime, River’s death, the women of Journey’s End, Addams from The End Of Time, Professor Docherty, Colonel Manton, and Lorna (I can’t believe I forgot Lorna, she’s one of my favourite supporting characters). Thanks guys!
edited 16/9 – Added notes about the The Unquiet Dead, The Runaway Bride, Smith and Jones, The Shakespeare Code, Evolution of the Daleks, The End of Time, The Doctor’s Daughter, and the bloke from The Doctor Dances
edited 19/9 -Added The God Complex, and a note about The Long Game
edited 5/10 -Added Closing Time and The Wedding Of River Song
edited 19/5/13 – Added Series Seven!
September 12, 2011 @ 9:00 pm
It’s really striking how empty the LGBT category is, even during series when people were whining about omg too much gayness!!1! I’m not even sure Ricky and Jake can be included, since it was specifically decided not to make them a canon couple.
September 12, 2011 @ 9:36 pm
Oh darn, Ricky/Jake is so ingrained in fanon I forgot it didn’t actually happen. I’ll take them out!
September 13, 2011 @ 12:17 am
One of the Anglican marines died, I think–well, no, he got beheaded to become a headless monk. Is that the same thing? Interesting chart. Have you seen the post by such_heights on representation in New Who?
September 13, 2011 @ 2:29 am
This is what I was wondering. The Headless Monks don’t register as life-forms but are they still sentient? Also, how do they function without heads?
September 13, 2011 @ 2:24 pm
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. Even if it’s not technically being “dead,” I think it still deserves a note at least.
September 13, 2011 @ 7:53 pm
I have now! And it’s good, and it very much highlights how the writers have sort of dropped the ball on disability so far… (Not that I want them to drop in a token wheelchair-bound character just for the heck of it, it’d just be nice if there were a few more around.) Added the poor old Marine to the database!
September 13, 2011 @ 1:10 am
Wow, that’s a very interesting and comprehensive chart. It must have taken you ages to organize all the information. Well done!
September 13, 2011 @ 7:57 pm
Thanks! :D
September 13, 2011 @ 2:30 am
Why don’t Amy and Nasareen count as having a conversation? They were debating how the rest of the world would take the Silurans coming back. Yes, they were talking to the male leader of the Silurans but they were debating between themselves as well.
September 13, 2011 @ 8:25 pm
Added Amy and Nasreen!
September 13, 2011 @ 7:30 am
I love charts. Speaking of the Bechdel test, I’ve said on my journal a few times that I’d love to do one of these for Rory. It feels like Moffat has gone for such a stereotypical role reversal in the Amy/Rory relationship where “she wears the trousers” because Moffat finds that SO hilarious, that Rory has actually become the character who would utterly fail a hypothetical reverse Bechdel test, in as much as it is very hard to think of a single instance where Rory has a conversation with anyone that isn’t all about Amy. (I can think of about one and a half instances in Rory’s seventeen episodes.) I’ve tried to work out what this means wrt Moffat’s writing of men and women, but my brain is too addled to come up with a coherent theory.
September 13, 2011 @ 8:31 pm
Ooh, you’re right, I can’t think of many proper conversations he’s had with other blokes. Not even with the Doctor about non-Amy stuff. The biggest one is probably the conversation with Strax in A Good Man Goes To War… Maybe one of the reasons for Rory’s popularity is because he’s written the same way as a lot of female characters are, so lots of people sort of latched onto him regardless of gender? I dunno…
September 13, 2011 @ 4:07 pm
This is a great resource! *bookmarks* May I make a few additions for your Bechdel test section? In “End of the World,” Raffalo and Rose exchange a few words about Raffalo’s job and home planet before Rose mentions the Doctor. (Not sure if that counts because Rose mentions the Doctor in the same conversation.) In “The Christmas Invasion,” Rose and Jackie talk briefly about Harriet Jones. Jackie’s on the phone to her (unseen) friend Bev. Jackie and Rose talk about the Christmas tree in their flat. Harriet and Sally exchange words about the Sycorax transmissions. In “New Earth,” Sister Jatt and Matron Casp discuss a test subject/patient who becomes conscious. The patient was male, but the conversation itself was in context of their job and they considered the patient a thing, not a human. Does that count? In “The Idiot’s Lantern,” Rose and the Wire exchange a few words before the Wire takes Rose’s face. Stacy was also present In “Partners in Crime.” She talks to Donna about losing weight, but also mentions breaking up with her boyfriend, so I don’t know if their conversation counts. Penny and Ms. Foster talk extensively about the Adipose plan. Also in “Partners in Crime,” Sylvia’s friend Suzette in the restaurant; she and Sylvia talk about the success of the Adipose diet plan. River kinda dies in “Forest of the Dead”? “Journey’s End” had the German woman at Osterhagen Station who threatens Martha about not going into the Osterhagen base; also the Chinese soldier Anna Zhou who exchanges a few words with Martha about setting off the Osterhagen Key. In “The End of Time,” Addams is also female, but doesn’t have conversations with other women.
September 13, 2011 @ 8:31 pm
Yay thank you! This has been a big help. :D
September 13, 2011 @ 5:52 pm
“Jeff was originally meant to be written as gay (presumably they’d have cut the ‘get a girlfriend’ line)” Or maybe changed it to ‘get a boyfriend’? :D These charts are really great, they must have taken you ages! :) HK
September 13, 2011 @ 8:31 pm
Aww thank you. :D I hope they would have changed the line!
September 13, 2011 @ 10:51 pm
BECHEDEL TEST: The Unquiet Dead Later, Rose and Gwyneth discuss whether she should help ‘the angels’. The Runaway Bride Sylvia and Donna argue over the phone. Sylvia questions Donna about where she’s been at the reception and then asks who the Doctor is. Nerys and Donna snap at eachother. Donna confronts the Racnoss. Smith and Jones Martha and Julia try to work out what’s going on. The Shakespeare Code Missing female character: the barmaid that was killed. Evolution if the Daleks Martha and Tallullah do work out the Dalekanium together. The End of Time Part One Donna and Sylvia giggle over a rude Christmas card and the exchange over Sylvia talking into thin air.
September 14, 2011 @ 9:56 pm
Thank you muchly! Will add them all.
September 13, 2011 @ 10:59 pm
LGBT: If we’re including mentions, there’s Donna’s ex-boyfriend who settled down with a man mentioned in The Sontaran Strategm and in The Doctor’s Daughter she says: “My friend Nerys fathered twins with a turkey baster” which I guess means Nerys is a lesbian? Also, in World War Three there’s the male Slitheen telling the other male Slitheen that his body is magnificent, take that as you will.
September 14, 2011 @ 9:55 pm
Aha, thank you!
September 28, 2011 @ 8:08 am
Artificial insemination doesn’t equal lesbian, at least not in my mind. She could just have wanted children but hadn’t found someone to have them with. It’s probably a lot rarer but people do become single parents by choice at times.
September 28, 2011 @ 1:49 pm
Yeah, you’re right. I wasn’t all that sure, being unfamiliar with the term ‘turkey-baster’, but it could go either way.
September 14, 2011 @ 4:14 am
Have you considered sending the characters of color portion of this to the Doctor Who and Race essay collection? http://doctorwhoandrace.blogspot.com/ It might not make it because it’s not in paragraph form, but it’s worth emailing the editor.
September 14, 2011 @ 9:55 pm
Ooh, that looks interesting. I might very well try that! I might also try writing something about how Mickey was treated, I was a fan of his from day one. Thanks for the link!
December 6, 2011 @ 10:28 am
Please do contribute an expression of interest, any of you – I would be honoured to consider your ideas. The deadline is 15th December, but contact me if you need a little more time. Cheers! Lindy Orthia – editor :)
October 24, 2011 @ 10:22 am
Hi. I complete missed this when it ifrst came around (I think I was away). They’re very good, thanks for doing them. There is, howeverm one issue which should be pointed out is the number of speaking parts a season has reduced since Moffat took over. During the RTD era there were around 120 a season. During the Moffat era it’s been around 90. Also, there are a number of minor credited characters you missed in the “of colour” section: Ru Chan, Bau Chan (World War Three). They were an asian couple who attended Jackie’s party. Indian Newsreader, Japanese Newsreader, Japanese Girl, Trisha Goddard (Army of Ghosts). During the channel flicking. I think there was a black soldier in this episode but need to double check. Vicar, Taxi Driver, Little Girl [the one who almost got attacked by the Racnoss ship] (Runaway Bride). Pharmacist #2 (Gridlock). Dock Worker, Man #1 (Daleks in Manhattan). Abi Lerner (42). Atilo (Utopia). Kitchen Hand (Voyage of the Damned). Clare Pope (Partners in Crime). Rep, Commander Kess (Planet of the Ood). Jo Nakashima (The Sontaran Stratagem) Mechanic Claude (Midnight). Suzanne (Journey’s End). Watson Katsui, Ginger (The End of Time) The Winder in the Beast Below is called Peter. There were 3 clerics in Time of AngelsFlesh and Stone and they were named Angelo, Christian and Pedro. Christian and Angelo die in part 1. Pedro in Part 2. Whilst he has no lines, Pedro appears throughout part 1. The footballer in The Lodger is called Sean, not Steve. Amy’s psychologist is called Christine. The FBI man is named Carl. Tramp (Day of the Moon). The pirate was called Dancer. Rita’s Father. (The God Complex). Also Lucas and Dominicus were not the Fat one and Thin One but the security monitors. Jeff was originally meant to be written as gay (presumably they’d have cut the ‘get a girlfriend’ line) I thought this was a misunderstanding of an interview Matt Smith gave. The deleted scene was: Mrs. Angelo: Jeff, is he your gay friend? Jeff: Gran I’m not gay! The Doctor: He’s not you know [referring to the contents of Jeff’s laptop]
October 31, 2011 @ 8:16 pm
Also Lucas and Dominicus were not the Fat one and Thin One but the security monitors. Really? Awww. Thanks for all this!
November 1, 2011 @ 9:43 am
No problem. I enjoy doing these things
October 24, 2011 @ 10:44 am
Also on a Christmas Carol: Of Colour: Co-Pilot. Blendel Test: A Christmas Carol – Amy also talks to the Captain. Although it is about the Doctor. Plus The Eleventh Hour – Amy and Mrs Angelo also discuss her career.
October 24, 2011 @ 10:47 am
Ok one final aside. I don’t whether you want to include it but it is implied twice that Amy is Bisexual, firstly in Time (where she flirts with herself) and secondly in COTBS (where she is shown to be put under the sirens influence). It is not confirmed but it may be worth a note.
March 4, 2014 @ 4:28 am
The Eleventh Hour – Amy and Mrs Angelo also discuss her career. Ah, yes, I’d forgotten that one.
February 18, 2012 @ 1:29 pm
Sorry, we’ve never met, I found this through a random search for icons, but wow, this is amazing! Do you mind if I link to it on my own journal? It’d be really interesting to cross-reference each episode in terms of representation with who wrote it, too!
March 4, 2014 @ 4:20 am
Wow, I love this! I’m gonna mark this for future reference because I’m eager to read through it in detail! There are a few things I noticed right away though: Bechdel Test “The Pandorica Opens” – Liz X and Madame Vernet aren’t on your list, but they both appear in the pre-title sequence (Madame Vernet has a speaking role, but she only speaks with men). Liz X catches River stealing from her gallery and demands to know why, but then the conversation primarily becomes about River needing to warn The Doctor about what’s on the painting. But, Amy and River also talk at Stonehenge about Stonehenge because Amy is having trouble with the timey wimey concept of the Pandorica existing for thousands of years beneath Stonehenge. “The Hungry Earth” – Nasreen and Amy briefly talk about Amy’s clothes. “A Christmas Carol” – Isabella, Abigail’s sister, is not on your list. The crashing ship’s captain is also female, but she’s not named (if you’re only counting named women who have conversations). I’m also 99% sure that there is passing dialogue in this one, I think it might be between Abigail and Isabella, but I haven’t watched the episode in a while, so I need to double check before I can say with certainty. “The Doctor’s Wife” – Idris and Auntie talk at the very beginning of the episode, before the TARDIS gets put into Idris’s body: they discuss the process of how Idris will die and be replaced but the soul of the TARDIS as well as Idris’s fear of dying. “Closing Time” – Madame Kovarian featured at the end with River, but she isn’t listed on your list as a female character. Kelly isn’t on the list but she’s the employee who appears with Shona at the beginning of the episode (Shona says her name at least one out loud and it’s also on her name tag) and she also appears several other times throughout. Shona and Kelly talk at the beginning when Kelly is complaining about how she wants to go on her date with John Joe and Shona says she’ll close up for her. Then the lights flicker and Kelly complains about how the council hasn’t fixed the electricity problem yet, to which Shona says John Joe is waiting and that she’ll also clean up for her and Kelly thanks her. River and Kovarian also talk at the end. It’s largely about The Doctor, but there are some things not about him like River finally earning her doctorate and River asking Kovarian how she knows who she is, to which Kovarian says she is the one who made River.
March 4, 2014 @ 4:36 am
I know you already have this one listed as passing because of the Amy and Kate dialogue, but: “The Power of Three” – Amy and Laura also discuss Amy being Laura’s bridesmaid and how Laura’s girlfriend is finally going to make a good woman out of her.
March 4, 2014 @ 9:38 pm
Oh wow, thank you! My chart is in definite need of updating.