“We at PETA – like so many devoted Doctor Who fans worldwide – are excited to see Jodie Whittaker step into the Doctor’s shoes,” the letter from PETA director Elisa Allen begins.
“But before she begins to navigate her way through space and time, we have a request we hope you’ll consider: make the character vegan.”
The letter, which you can read in full here, goes on to lay out the reasons for the change, suggesting that the series’ “central message of love for life in all its forms” is incompatible with a hero who eats meat or meat by-products.
“Eating dead animals simply doesn’t fit with the Doctor’s moral compass since, as Christopher Eccleston so aptly said, the show has ‘the central message of love for life in all its forms,” Allen continues.
“Not only is switching to a vegan diet infinitely kinder to animals, it’s also one of the best ways to protect planet Earth, as animal agriculture is a major producer of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
“Considering all the benefits that eating vegan has for a person’s heart, it’d be doubly beneficial for the Doctor!
“Vegan foods really have come a long way since the nut cutlets of the Sixth Doctor’s time – there are tasty options readily available to suit every appetite (even if that’s for faux-fish fingers dunked in soya custard),” the open letter concludes.
“We hope the new Doctor will join us in taking a stand for animals and inspire others to switch to a healthy, Earth-friendly, life-saving diet.”
So will the Doctor be going full vegan in 2018? Will Jim the Fish finally be safe from Time Lord snacking? Or will the Tardis still have a secret supply of beef jerky somewhere? The ball’s in your court, Chris….
Via Radio Times by Huw Fullerton
