Armando Iannucci hits out at Doctor Who ‘woke’ criticism and praises ‘colourblind’ casting

TV show creator Armando Iannucci has opposed those who have labelled the casting choices of Doctor Who as “woke”.

Iannucci, who is behind programmes such as The Thick of It and Veep, recently spoke at the MacTaggart Legacy panel as part of the Edinburgh International TV Festival.

Joined by writer and producer Jack Thorne, British historian and broadcaster David Olusoga OBE, and Channel 4's former Head of News and Current Affairs Dorothy Byrne, the writer discussed making programmes and films that feel representative of the UK.

“British television is great, we want it to be even better, and it can only be better if it’s much more reflective of who we are, as a country and as an audience,” he explained.

In Iannucci’s 2019 film The Personal History of David Copperfield, Dev Patel played the title role – a move that the creator described as “colourblind casting” and something he found a liberating part of the process.

“It was an enormous relief,” he told the audience. “I felt liberated, I didn't feel I was ticking boxes. I just felt, ‘my God, why have I not had access to 100 per cent of the acting community [previously]?’

“It's a really enjoyable step forward, it's not difficult. It makes what we make better.”

Iannucci then made reference to Doctor Who as an example of a show that embraces diverse casting. Jodie Whittaker made her debut as the first female Doctor in 2018, while Ncuti Gatwa will take on the role next as the first Black Doctor.

He objected to the practice being labelled as “woke”. “My worry is that there is now this word, ‘woke’, that the government has weaponised to try and stop all that,” Iannucci said.

“I want someone to ask [Prime Ministerial candidate] Liz Truss, ‘Do you want Doctor Who just to be a white man?’ I've got to see what her response is, because that's the thing that's referred to as ‘woke’, the Doctor Who debate.”

Gatwa is due to take over the role as The Doctor in 2023.