Doctor Who: 10 Controversial Moments From The Revived Series

4. Doctor Who Is Sexist?

The suggestion that Doctor Who is sexist is one that has been continuously thrown in the direction of its creators over the years, most recently during the latest series when some viewers raised concerns over the implications of the Twelfth Doctor's more "alien" comments, particularly the ones that he aimed in the direction of his companion, Clara Oswald. Before this, though, it was the star of the 2013 Christmas Special, Tasha Lem, who managed to reignite the debate regarding Doctor Who's gender-defining stereotypes, as well as being revealed as the character wholly responsible for the majority of the events of the Eleventh Doctor's era, a remarkable feat for which she ultimately received less credit. In the episode in question, The Time of the Doctor, which also happened to be Matt Smith's final outing as the titular Time Lord, Tasha was introduced as one of our hero's old friends (and flames) and the romantical remnants of their past encounters were suggested when the Doctor kissed her without her consent - and then dismissed her protests. Matters weren't helped by the fact that pretty much all of their interactions were sexualised for no apparent reason and it was later discovered that Tasha even possessed the power to see through the Doctor's holographic clothing in what was another bizarre and utterly futile aspect of the episode's already chocker narrative. For some fans it was frustrating to see a powerful character at the forefront of one of the galaxy's biggest religious and military movements reduced to a flirtatious fan girl as soon as she was in the Doctor's company. Furthermore, when it transpired that for her the Doctor was actually naked the entire time, it pretty much took the biscuit, especially when she asked him to "give her a twirl" - and she wasn't talking about the chocolate bar, either. So, was this encounter just an innocent exchange between two old acquaintances or was it yet another example of Steven Moffat's determination to flood the show with underlying examples of his misogynistic views? You decide.