PETA urges BBC to make next Doctor Who Time Lord vegan
PETA thinks it is only natural that the Doctor Who Time Lord's compassion extends to animals.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has penned a letter to the BBC urging for Doctor Who's sixteenth doctor to be vegan.
The animal rights organisation's vice president, Elisa Allen, told the corporation that it is only natural that the Time Lord's compassion extends to animals.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, she penned: "For decades, the Doctor has travelled the universe defending the vulnerable, standing up to bullies, and challenging injustice wherever it appears.
"Going vegan is a natural extension of the compassion, curiosity, and moral courage that have always defined the character."
The fourth doctor (Tom Baker) loved jelly babies, with the ninth (Christopher Eccleston) eating steak and chips in a 2005 episode, the eleventh (Matt Smith) liking fishfingers dipped in custard, and the tenth (David Tennant) and thirteenth (Jodie Whittaker) enjoying custard creams.
The sixth incarnation of the Time Lord (Colin Baker) adopted a vegetarian diet in the 1985 serial, The Two Doctors, but it was dropped when Doctor Who was revived in 2005.
With the sci-fi series put out for competitive tender, Elisa thinks it is the perfect opportunity for the show to introduce a vegan diet for the next Doctor.
She wrote: "As the Doctor often reminds us, small actions can have enormous consequences.
"So as the series prepares for a new era, don't just change the face - change the plate. Because in the Doctor's own words, we're all stories in the end. What better story than one where kindness truly is universal?"
PETA had made the suggestion previously.
She noted: "When we first proposed this several years ago, it felt like a bold idea. Now, as the show enters a new chapter, it feels like an idea whose time has come.
"For decades, the Doctor has travelled the universe defending the vulnerable, standing up to bullies, and challenging injustice wherever it appears.
"While here on Earth, billions of animals – who all feel pain, fear and joy – are bred, confined, and killed to be eaten when they’re just babies."
Elisa quipped: "In a world with an abundance of delicious vegan foods – even jelly babies and custard creams – there's no need for so much killing."
She added: "Across regenerations, the Doctor has shown discomfort with harming animals. This is the moment to make that principle permanent."
Elisa thinks a vegan Time Lord would make the show more relatable with viewers.
She said: "A vegan Doctor is the next logical step; one that resonates with younger audiences increasingly concerned about animals, their health, and the future of the planet.”
Last month, the BBC announced that Doctor Who is being put out to competitive tender, and the planned Christmas special has been scrapped.
It has been rumoured that the show could be off the air until at least 2028.
BBC Studios will join other production companies in bidding to win the contract to make the show.
In June, the broadcaster said in a statement: "As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year.
"Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who, ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come.
"After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.
"This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory."
