Two major U.K. publications have drawn backlash after they published nude imagery of actor Jodie Whittaker, shortly after she was named as the first female lead on British sci-fi series Doctor Who.
The U.K.’s Sun greeted the news of the first female doctor with video from a nude scene from the 2007 film Venus, in which Whittaker played a character who modelled for an art class.
Meanwhile, The Daily Mail published stills from a nude scene in TV series The Smoke, in which Whittaker played a firefighter’s girlfriend. It also published nude and topless photos of ex-Doctor Who stars Matt Smith, David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston.
READ MORE: Jodie Whittaker revealed as new ‘Doctor Who,’ show’s 1st-ever female lead
The pictures drew backlash from Equal Representation for Actresses (ERA), a group that challenges the “British broadcast, film and theatre industry’s unconscious bias against women.”
“We are delighted by the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor,” ERA said in a statement provided to The Guardian.
“However, we are surprised and disappointed by the Daily Mail [Mail Online is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust] and the Sun’s reductive and irresponsible decision to run a story featuring pictures of Jodie in various nude scenes.”
On its Facebook page, ERA noted that David Tennant had played Casanova and that Peter Capaldi, another ex-Doctor Who star, had unleashed a “string of profanities” in the show The Thick of It.
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“Did The Sun report their ‘less family friendly roles’? Or publish photos of them without clothes?” the group asked.
But ERA wasn’t alone in criticizing the publications.
They also drew a round of derision on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jowrotethis/status/887066044459753472
https://twitter.com/Wolfe321/status/887118062851436544
The announcement of Whittaker as the new star of Doctor Who was embraced by many who welcomed the casting of a woman in its lead role.
https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman/status/886704709939187712
But the decision to cast her also had its detractors.
https://twitter.com/GhisPerrier/status/886609854307192834
https://twitter.com/TheMasterBucks/status/886614910062297088
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