Doctor Who fans blast ‘eye-rolling’ and ‘tacked-on’ twist as the new series kicks off amid backlash over ‘woke’ storylines and axe fears

The iconic cult-following BBC show is back and their die-hard fans are not happy. 

Doctor Who fans have blasted an ‘eye-rolling’ and ‘tacked-on’ twist in the first episode of the new series, amid the show’s recent backlash over ‘woke’ storylines and axe fears.

The highly-anticipated new series launched on BBC One’s prime time spot on Saturday, after dropping on BBC iPlayer earlier in the day, and fans were left very unimpressed as they slammed the show’s ‘tacked-on’ twist. 

Doctor Who’s new series opened with The Robot Revolution, where new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) confronts Alan Budd (Jonny Green) – a spurned ex-fiancé turned dictator. 

After Belinda rejected his proposal, Alan used future technology to dominate a planet named after her, forcing society into submission in a disturbing attempt to win her back. 

But in a swipe at Alan, Belinda dubs it a ‘planet of the incels’, highlighting her ex-fiance’s controlling behaviour.

Doctor Who fans have blasted a ‘eye-rolling’ and ‘tacked-on’ twist in the series’ pemiere, amid the show’s recent backlash over ‘woke’ storyline (pictured: Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor)

The highly-anticipated new series launched on BBC One’s prime time spot on Saturday and fans were left very unimpressed as they slammed the show’s ‘tacked on’ twist (pictured: Jonny Green as Alan Buddand  Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra)

An incel, short for involuntary celibate, is typically a man who feels unable to form romantic or sexual relationships despite wanting them, and often blames women or society for their situation.

Some members of incel communities develop extreme misogynistic beliefs, expressing resentment, anger, and entitlement toward women, which can sometimes lead to harmful or violent behavior. 

The planet, once peaceful, is twisted into a surveillance state where women are monitored, stripped of autonomy, and socially engineered to fit Alan’s vision of devotion. 

Male citizens are indoctrinated into loyalty to Alan’s regime, echoing real-world online echo chambers that glorify entitlement and control over women. 

Its robotic enforcers carry out Alan’s will, enforcing obedience and preparing Belinda for a forced marriage.

But in a shock to devoted fans, the opening episode sees the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) play a supporting role. 

The show’s committed fanbase were not impressed with the new series opener as they flocked to social media to slam the first episode.

One penned: ‘#DoctorWho no longer for me. No idea what I’ve just watched.’

Doctor Who season 15 opened with The Robot Revolution, where Belinda (pictured) confronts Alan – a spurned ex-fiancé turned dictator 

But after she rejects the gift and dubs is a Plant of Incels, its robotic enforcers carry out Alan’s will, enforcing obedience and preparing Belinda for a forced marriage

And in a shock to devoted fans, the opening episode sees the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) play a supporting role

The show’s committed fanbase were not impressed with the new series opener as they flocked to social media to slam the first episode stating it was ‘the end’ of the show

‘Starting a #DoctorWho series with Robot again’

‘When a show is on the verge of a potential cancellation, the first episode needs to be a banger… and The Robot’s Revolution just wasn’t it. Hit and miss jokes in a forgettable story that badly mishandles its incel twist – see Adolescence on how to do it well.’

And this is not the only issues BBC has had with the show as a special Eurovision-themed episode is also lined up – offering a sci-fi twist on the beloved song contest – but its broadcast on May 17 remains uncertain.

There could be a potential scheduling clash triggered by the FA Cup Final.

Teams like Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa battle for a coveted spot in the match set to air live on BBC One.

With two of the four teams securing a place in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, the possibility of extra time or a penalty shootout could wreak havoc on the BBC’s evening schedule – potentially bumping Doctor Who from its prime-time slot.

The Sci-fi’s showrunner Russell T. Davies recently expressed his concerns over whether the episode will make it to air.

He told OK! Magazine: ‘The FA Cup is going live on BBC One, and then you have Eurovision going live in the evening, we’re squeezed in the middle.

‘We don’t know if we’ll even be transmitted that day.’

‘It will be on iPlayer but you’ll have to sit through a football match to know whether Doctor Who will be out that night,’ he went on.

‘They [the BBC] asked if we wanted to move it. But I said, ”That’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s find out!”’ 

MailOnline contacted the BBC for comment at the time.

A special Eurovision-themed episode is also lined up – offering a sci-fi twist on the beloved song contest – but its broadcast on May 17 remains uncertain 

The FA Cup final, which airs on May 17 live on BBC One, could push Doctor Who off the schedule (pictured Manchester City’s Jack Grealish during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match)

It comes amid fears that Doctor Who is reportedly facing the axe, while lead actor Ncuti is thought to be on the verge of quitting.

The long-running sci-fi show has suffered a huge drop in ratings of late, with fans said to be fed up of the injection of ‘woke’ storylines.

Ncuti joined the show in 2023 after Jodie Whittaker bowed out as the Time Lord, but it’s rumoured that he’s set to walk away from the BBC show after just two seasons.

According to reports, a decision of the show’s future will only be decided by bosses once Ncuti’s second series hits screens later this year.

It is thought that Ncuti has already filmed his regeneration exit scene, with crews allegedly fearing that this could spell the end of the series after a whopping 62 years.

A source told The Sun: ‘Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.

‘His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.’

They continued: ‘The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership.’

The insider added that people had warned that the episodes were becoming ‘too caught up on an agenda’ rather than focusing ‘telling a story’, with those people apparently being ‘shouted down’ and ‘ignored.’

According to the publication, Ncuti’s first series attracted between ‘2.25million and 3.18million viewers’, which was ‘much less than previous series’.

However, a Doctor Who spokesperson told The Sun: ‘This story is incorrect. Doctor Who has not been shelved. 

‘As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes — and exactly half of those still have to transmit.’

Ncuti was the first black actor to take on the leading role as The Doctor, after Jodie made history as the first permanent female Time Lord in 2017.

He became a household name when he starred as gay teenager Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education.