Gay writer of classic serials such as Queer as Folk and It's A Sin spoke with the Guardian newspaper last week about his career, his showrunning for the BBC's classic science fiction programme Doctor Who, and life after the passing of his former partner, and his joy in finding new love.

Mr Davies is also an ally to the transgender community, and advocates for fair representation on telly. For this he has been targetted by the unhinged group known as "TERFS", who dislike trans people. The Guardian newspaper goes on to explain "“I’m called a paedophile and a groomer online by people like [Father Ted creator and anti-trans activist] Graham Linehan, and now people believe what they read. ,” he says. His support for trans rights has resulted in years of death threats and “groomer” smears, which he used to brush off. “But the online world is becoming the real world. People have worked out my address, and one person turned up at my house. If you believe a paedophile lives here, it’s not the maddest thing in the world to come..... I’ve been saying for years that our rights are paper-thin.... Nothing is going to unseat these tech barons – it will require some sort of revolution to stop them. So for the first time in history, hatred is being monetised by an algorithm.”

However, these negative musings from Mr Davies do not define the man. Perhaps the BBC long running science fiction programme "Doctor Who" does. The show, which has a strong LGBTQIA audience and fandom, and has done since its origin in the sixties. was revived in 2005, with Russell at the helm. Under his guidance it was returned to its 1960s heyday as one of the most beloved programmes on national television. Davies speaks about his strong relation to the show. In fact, he reveals that his earliest memory is of the 1966 story "The Tenth Planet" which culminates with the very first Doctor, played by William Hartnell, regenerating into his second incarnation, played by Patrick Troughton.

The interview also stretches to looking back at some of Russells craftsmanship on queer issues for the major networks. Queer as Folk took to the air in 1999 and pressed the boundaries of what was acceptable on television. It was part of the Channel Four network's long standing commitment to generating and uplifting programming from previously marginalised groups. Anti-retroviral therapy for HIV was transforming the clubbing and gay village landscape at the time, and with the new millenium, the gay community was marching onwards towards new sunlit uplands. The extent to which this has been halted and undone by the internet, of which Russell is critical, is discussed in the interview.

The full and fascinating piece is available online here: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/03/russell-t-davies-interview-doctor-who-fierce-fandom-love-grief