Class creator Patrick Ness: ‘The lack of LGBT representation on screen is harmful’

BBC

The writer and creator of new Doctor Who spin-off Class has spoken about LGBT representation.

21st October 2016

 by Daniel Megarry

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Speaking at the world premiere of the new show, Patrick Ness was asked why including openly LGBT characters was so important to him.

He said: “When I was a kid, I never saw myself in books. I never saw myself on the screen, I never dreamed that the lead of a show would be somebody like me.

“And the lack of that is harmful. I don’t do it to tick boxes, I do it because that’s the story I really want to tell and it really excites me and I’m really passionate about it, so it’s just natural for me to write it.

“When you don’t see yourself on screen, you are harmed, you are implicitly disinvited from the party. And I just thought, when I started writing, that that was never going to happen again, not on my watch.

“Also, one of my fundamental beliefs is that one of the ways to change the world is to act as though the world has already changed. Nobody under the age of 20 is going to blink at Charlie and Matteusz.”

Jordan Renzo, who plays one of those LGBT characters, Matteusz, explained that playing a gay character in the Dr Who universe was made “quite easy” with the help of co-star Greg Austin.

He continued: “Obviously we’re aware that there’s been some controversy about it, but to us, it’s no different to any other relationship in the show, it’s just about telling the story of the dynamics and the ups-and-downs.

“There was no problems with it at all, it didn’t even come up until people outside what we were doing brought it up.”

The British show, which has drawn comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will star Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah as four students fighting an alien invasion.

There will also be cameo appearances from Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, which can be seen in the trailer below.

 

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