Actor Catherine Tate, who plays the mother of transgender Doctor Who star Yasmin Finney, was praised for a powerful message to the show's transgender fans that acknowledged her experience playing the mother of a transgender character and expressed her support for the wider community.
Tate revisited her role as the Doctor's companion, Donna Noble, in "The Star Beast," one of the three 60th anniversary special episodes aired last November. This episode featured the return of the Tenth Doctor, played by fellow supporter of transgender rights, David Tennant, and introduced Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble, Donna's transgender daughter.
Written by acclaimed TV creator Russell T Davies, the episode was praised for its honest exploration of Rose's character within the Doctor Who universe, with her transgender identity being sensitively addressed and integral to the storyline.
Recently, Tate attended Fan Expo Denver, a pop culture event, where she engaged with fans, answered questions, and discussed her involvement in the series, which has been on the air since 1963.
She said:
“It is of course my privilege and honour to tell the story of a mother with a trans daughter. It’s important as storytellers and people in the industry that we take that mantle on and we tell those stories and we represent everyone and we do it with love and humour and kindness and interest."
“It is absolutely my honour and my privilege for Donna to be the mother of everyone. It’s so wonderful to play a character who is written so brilliantly that she just embraced her daughter.”
“I get a lot of young trans people come up to me, saying: ‘Well, my parents didn’t do that’, and that breaks my heart. So, I’m all your mamas."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Tate's words are significant given how sensitively "The Star Beast" handled Rose's character.
The episode includes a scene in which Donna courageously defends Rose when they encounter small-minded transphobic bullies on their way home. “I would burn down the world for you, darling. Anyone has a go, I will be there and I will descend,” Donna says at one point.
The scene is all the more poignant when you consider a separate scene featuring Rose and Donna's mother Sylvia (played by Jacqueline King), who accidentally misgenders Rose and quickly criticizes herself for her mistake.
Fans were touched by Tate's words.
Tate's comments came not long after her co-star Tennant criticized transphobes when asked by a transgender fan about his personal views on sexuality and gender.
Speaking at the Proud Nerd: Angels, Demons and Doctors convention in Germany earlier this year, Tennant addressed the fan’s question, and affirmed his steadfast commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, noting that the far-right and their supporters "create friction and conflict and division where it needn’t be."
Tennant also said his stance is rooted in his desire for individuals to be able to freely express themselves and know who they are, noting that "ways of expressing gender identity [and] sexuality are more nuanced than they once were."
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