Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies warns of "censorship" in fiery speech after BAFTA win
"We now need a world in which the BBC stands for 'Big Balls Corporation'."
Russell T Davies, the current showrunner of Doctor Who and writer behind dramas like Queer as Folk, It's a Sin and Years and Years, has warned about the perils of censorship in the current climate.
Davies was presented with the award for Outstanding Contribution to Television at last night's BAFTA Cymru Awards ceremony. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about how greater compliance requirements mean writers start censoring themselves.
"When times get tough, TV gets timid," Davies warned in his fiery speech. "And you all know how hard it is to deal with compliance. And I'm not blaming the people in compliance, they work very hard and have a tough job to do.
"I do blame their bosses for getting scared. And I can feel it, I've literally had experience of this."
He added: "The compliance is getting tough, 'You can't say this, you can't say that, you have to balance it'. No, you don't have to f*****g balance it, you can just be strong and say what you want. And I think then, that is where censorship creeps in. The censorship isn't the government, isn't the authorities, it's in us.
"We sit there and say, 'Oh they won't like that. Oh, you can't do that, you can't say that.' And then the worst form of censorship of all comes in at home.
"Where the writers – and I don't just mean drama, I mean writers whether in children's or factual or documentaries, entertainment, where those creators sit there saying, 'I can't write that. They won't like that, they won't accept that, they won't make that.'
"And that is the worst form of censorship that exists because it censors an idea before it's ever been shown to someone."
Davies's speech, which was posted on Instagram and which can be viewed below, continued: "So now, with the danger that's coming towards us, indisputably coming towards us, we now need a world in which the BBC stands for 'Big Balls Corporation'.
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"We need an ITV that is literally 'Independent Television'. We need a Channel 4 that is Channel for something. We need a Netflix that is 'Not Enough Trans Films Innit Love? kiss'. That took a while.
"But we've seen in America what is happening, how the government is attacking the media. They're literally attacking people and literally suing them, and we all know there are people who use that as a playbook. That is coming this way, that's a fact.
"And television at its best, it's a beacon. It's a lighthouse, it's an emergency flare, it's a light in the dark, it is a torch bearer that stands for truth and insight and wisdom and justice. And we must not let that flame go out. Thank you very much."
Lost Boys and Fairies was the big winner from the BAFTA Cymru Awards, emerging with five wins. Meanwhile, Anna Maxwell Martin took home the Actress award for her role in Until I Kill You.
As fans wait for news on the future of Doctor Who, Davies still has two projects currently on the way. First, there is The War Between the Land and the Sea, a five-part Doctor Who spin-off coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer next year.
Additionally, fans of Davies's writing can look forward to his latest collaboration with Channel 4, Tip Toe, which stars Alan Cumming and David Morrissey.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
