Russell T Davies speaks out against Elon Musk’s X platform

Russell T Davies has revealed that he asked the BBC to stop promoting Doctor Who on X after returning as the show’s boss in 2021.

Speaking in a new interview, Davies said he strongly disagrees with the platform under owner Elon Musk and described it as “a hate platform.”

“It’s a public service broadcaster posting on a hate platform,” he told The i. Davies argued that X is no longer the “town square” it claims to be and said the tone of discussions on the platform is affecting real-world conversations.

The writer returned to Doctor Who in 2021 and launched a new era of the long-running sci-fi series with Ncuti Gatwa starring as the Fifteenth Doctor.

Despite Davies’ request, BBC accounts still continue to post promotional content about the show on X.

The comments come during a period of uncertainty for Doctor Who. Last year, Gatwa unexpectedly exited the series, with his Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper, who famously played Rose Tyler alongside David Tennant.

The future of the show has also been questioned after Disney reportedly ended its partnership with the BBC for the series.

However, Davies recently hinted that an official update about the future of Doctor Who will be announced soon.

Elsewhere in the interview, Davies also opened up about experiencing homophobic incidents in recent years. He said those experiences partly inspired his new Channel 4 drama Tip Toe, starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey.