Doctor Who mini-episode divides fanbase amid Davros controversy

Doctor Who’s BBC Children in Need mini-episode, ‘Destination: Skaro’, has fans debating its revisionist portrayal of villain Davros.

The five-minute scene sees David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor make an unplanned visit to the Daleks’ homeworld, Skaro. The Doctor quickly realizes that he’s in the past after unwittingly playing a role in the Daleks’ creation.

‘Destination: Skaro’ also boasts amusing exchanges between the scientist behind the Daleks, Davros (Julian Bleach), and his assistant, Mr. Castavillian (Mawaan Rizwan). Here, Davros has not yet undergone the facial disfigurement and loss of mobility that defines his older self’s iconic look.

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies addressed Davros’ revamped look in a behind-the-scenes featurette, saying he dislikes “associating disability with evil.” Davies also hinted that Davros’ future appearances will employ this redesign – and some fans aren’t happy about it.

Doctor Who mini-episode divides fanbase amid Davros controversy

Davies’ comments sparked intense debate on social media almost immediately after they went live on November 17. Commentators fell into two camps: those who thought Davros’ makeover was long overdue, and those who felt it was unnecessary.

“Literally no one had an issue with Davros being disabled till Russell T Davies opened his gob and this is coming from a wheelchair user,” wrote one X user. Another added: “I don’t find #Davros offensive – he’s a great character. What’s offensive is treating all disabled people as the same, assuming we all automatically identify with one another.”

By contrast, other Doctor Who devotees praised the Children in Need scene’s Davros. “This kid is me aged 5,” shared one poster, along with a childhood photo. “I had Perthes’ disease, was registered disabled, and often used a wheelchair. Some kids were kind, some stared at me. [Davies] is thinking of this kid and kids like him. As a grown man, that means a lot.”

“Seeing disabled fans talk about how the change and Russell’s reasoning meant a lot to them is enough for me to be OK with the change,” a further post opined. “My nerd brain will get the f*ck over it as soon as new Davros shows up and is just as evil and genocidal as he’s always been.”

Doctor Who showrunner addresses the show’s “progressive” casting

Doctor Who’s Davros controversy follows recent remarks by Davies regarding the show’s commitment to “progressive” casting. Specifically, the Welsh scribe unpacked the decision to hire trans actor Yasmin Finney for the Rose Noble role in the upcoming Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials.

“It’s not just a Doctor Who thing for me,” Davies said. “It’s something I and a lot of other writers are very keen to do, to be progressive and to just reflect more of society… [Yasmin’s casting] was just so powerfully meant to be and I think she does the most amazing job and it’s an absolute privilege to work with her to get her on screen.”

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