Growing Up

A new Doctor Who podcast spin-off series is making The Show more female and LGBTQ+ than ever before.

Doctor Who : Redacted, written by a transgender woman and with a transgender star, premieres on BBC Sounds This Week .

It's The Story of three Young Women who make a Conspiracy Theory podcast about a mysterious Blue Box that crops up throughout history.

They also end up having An Encounter of their own with a certain time-travelling alien.

" It's a real first for the Doctor Who universe to have a cast that's completely led by women and completely led by queer women, " writer Juno Dawson tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

The Jodie Whittaker era has already explored LGBTQ+ themes, including Time Travel assistant Yaz having a crush on The Doctor - which in a new TV special.

" It's important that every person who comes to Doctor Who brings their own little identity, " adds Juno.

" And of course, as a transgender woman myself it was important to me to see The Lead character being Trans as well. "

That lead character is Cleo, and is played by transgender activist Charlie Craggs , in her first ever acting role.

" It's a Trans girl from a council estate in London - which is literally Just Me , " she says.

" Cleo, unlike me, actually has had quite a Hard Time with her family.

" It's The Story that is Real Life for a lot of Trans People . I'm one of the lucky ones. My Family were all very accepting, But most of My Friends who are Trans haven't had that experience. "

Juno and Charlie were speaking to Newsbeat The Day after outside Downing Street in London against government plans to ban conversion therapy for lesbian, gay and bisexual People - But not for Transgender People .

The government says it will carry out separate work on transgender conversion therapy and is keen for any policy not to have unintended consequences, describing it as a legally complex area.

" We're living in quite a scary time for Trans People . I'm a Trans person, and I'm quite scared, " says Juno.

" One of The Ways things will get better is To Let Trans People tell stories about Trans People . "

Among many other writing credits, Juno has previously written a Doctor Who novel and two Torchwood (another Doctor Who spin-off) audio stories.

" I was a queer kid Growing Up in West Yorkshire , and the thought that One Day a Timelord would turn up on my doorstep and whisk me away from everything that was awful in My Life was a really seductive idea, " she says.

" If you are a young person, who in any way feels like a bit of an outsider, it's incredibly exciting.

" You can just hop in a Blue Box and escape your problems. "

Her first memory of Doctor Who was in 1980s, when The Role was played by actor Sylvester Mccoy , who travelled with an assistant played by theatre icon, Bonnie Langford .

" I was about five years old, and - Big Surprise - I just wanted to be Bonnie Langford , " says Juno.

" That was one of The First times that I knew I really, really wanted to be a girl.

" And so for me, Doctor Who is one of The Most significant stories of My Life . "

Charlie, on The Other hand, has never seen an episode of Doctor Who .

But having already been approached by fans of The Show since her casting was announced, she's fully aware of how important The Show is and describes its fans as " the nicest, queerest and queer-friendliest audience. "

" For your first acting gig, come on, getting a lead role in Dr Who is Pretty Sick , ain't it, " she says.

Charlie has previously presented a documentary on Bbc Iplayer about her experience as a Trans person in the UK - But says Trans representation in drama and entertainment is something very different, because it can reach People who might otherwise have no interest in Transgender Rights .

" When we're integrated into mainstream culture pieces, like Big storylines in EastEnders or Coronation Street , it's so powerful because People aren't watching it for that, " Charlie Says .

" But they can Take That from it. It's hard not to feel the humanity of Cleo's character when you're listening to this show.

" You'd have to be some sort of sociopath not to feel something when you hear what she's going through with her mum. "

She says it brings People into The Conversation " in a natural way" and doesn't make listeners " feel like they're being shouted at. "

Charlie knows from very recent experience about the real-life impact of growing anti-Trans sentiment in the UK. She was assaulted on Public Transport in London during the recording of Doctor Who : Redacted.

" It's even more important to me for that reason. We really are at a Tipping Point where we really need People on side, " she says.

" I'm so tired of our community being victims. "

Juno hopes positive transgender representation, in places like Doctor Who : Redacted, can go some way to improving public feeling towards - and ultimately The Day -to-day lives of - Trans People in the UK, in similar ways to LGBTQ+ shows in The Past .

" When I look at shows like Queer As Folk or It's A Sin, they have changed The Conversation around gay People , about HIV, " she says

" I don't think there's been a Trans equivalent of Queer As Folk or It's A Sin, and so I'm really hopeful that Trans creators, like myself, will be given opportunities to tell Our Own stories. "

One of her biggest hopes for sharing those stories? That People will learn how average Trans People can be.

" It's so that People can get to know us, because actually, we're just really normal, boring People , " Juno says.

" And sometimes normal, boring People Go On adventures with The Doctor - and that's what Doctor Who has always been about. "

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Source of news: bbc.com