10 Things That Would Make Doctor Who Better

8. Give the Doctor a companion who isn't straight.

In the Russell T Davies years of the show, there were more one-off characters who mentioned same-sex partners - like Sky Sylvestry in Midnight - and there is, of course, the magnificent Captain Jack Harkness who is a flirt with everyone. In the Steven Moffat years, however, same-sex couples are used as a punchline. Just look at Madame Vastra and Jenny, for example. In a way, they are less like companions and more like co-conspirators, in the way the UNIT and the occasional run-in with Torchwood are. They're already doing their own thing but they are available whenever the Doctor needs help. Yes, Madame Vastra and Jenny are a couple, and yes, they had the touching moment in Deep Breath where Jenny talks about her love for Vastra but generally their relationship isn't written as seriously as other couples on the show. While it's fantastic that an inter-species relationship exists, jokes like €œI'm a lizard from the dawn of time, and this is my wife" should be less frequent than they are. If the Doctor had a full-time companion who was either gay or bisexual, it wouldn't function as some check on an imaginary Diversity List, it would better depict the population as it exists. Representation is important and how likely is it really that all these people the Doctor comes across over his 2,000 are entirely about the opposite sex?