Doctor Who writer who criticised 'colour blind' casting of a black actor as a Victorian soldier was forced into climbdown after discovering a Sudanese fighter once joined Victoria's army

  • Mark Gatiss said casting of Bayo Gbadamosi as soldier 'Vincey' was 'colour blind'
  • He said it was because BBC wants everything to be 'less homogeneously white'
  • Gatiss, 50, sent a 'very difficult' email to colleagues after the issue troubled him
  • But he then found out black soldier called Jimmy Durham was in Victoria's army

By Mark Duell for MailOnline

Published: 04:13 EST, 12 June 2017 | Updated: 11:56 EST, 12 June 2017

Bayo Gbadamosi appeared as soldier 'Vincey' in series ten of Doctor Who on Saturday night

Bayo Gbadamosi appeared as soldier 'Vincey' in series ten of Doctor Who on Saturday night

A Doctor Who writer has revealed he argued against a black actor being cast as a Victorian soldier in the BBC show.

Mark Gatiss said the casting of Bayo Gbadamosi as soldier 'Vincey' was 'colour blind' because there 'weren't any black soldiers in Victoria's army'.

And the 50-year-old said the BBC's push to become 'more representational and make everything less homogeneously white' was behind the decision.

Gatiss, who has also acted in Doctor Who and co-wrote the BBC's Sherlock, said he sent a 'very difficult' email to colleagues after the issue troubled him.

But he eventually backed down when he found records revealing there was in fact one black soldier in Queen Victoria's army, with the Durham Light Infantry regiment.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Gatiss emailed his colleagues to say: 'I don't think we can do this… these are soldiers from the South African war, they've just been fighting the Zulus. There weren't any black soldiers in Victoria's army.' 

The casting of Gbadamosi was labelled 'colour blind' because there 'weren't any black soldiers in Victoria's army' - until it was found that there was one in the Durham Light Infantry regiment

The casting of Gbadamosi was labelled 'colour blind' because there 'weren't any black soldiers in Victoria's army' - until it was found that there was one in the Durham Light Infantry regiment

Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss
Jimmy Durham was found on the River Nile by British soldiers in Sudan in 1885

Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss (left) found the story of a black baby called Jimmy Durham (right) who was found on the River Nile by British soldiers in Sudan in 1885

Gatiss, who revealed his concerns in a talk at Oxford University on Saturday, added: 'But obviously we try all the time to be more representational, and to make everything less homogeneously white.

'But then the argument is "It's Doctor Who", so everything is already a strange and different world where from the time the show came back.'

The baby found on the Nile who was the first black British soldier

Jimmy Durham was a black baby found on a battlefield by the River Nile by British soldiers in Sudan in 1885.

He had been orphaned in a battle against an army of native warriors called the Mahdists or Dervishes – and the Durham Light Infantry decided to adopt him.

Soldiers established that the real name of the boy – who was covered in war paint - was Mustapha, his father was killed in battle and his mother fled.

The boy was named Jimmy Durham, he later married a woman from Bishop Auckland - and he is said to have been the British Army's first black soldier.

He stayed with the battalion as Territorial Number 6758 and is believed to have learnt to play the clarinet, before performing in concerts with the regiment's band.

He married Jane Green in 1908 but died of pneumonia in Cork after being posted to Ireland – three weeks before she gave birth to his only child, a Frances, who died unmarried in 1998.

London-based actor Gbadamosi, who was also in Casualty in April, featured in the 'Empress of Mars' on Saturday night, which was the ninth episode of 12 in series ten of Doctor Who.

The episode told the story of how the Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi), Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) visited Mars in 1888 where there was a war taking place between Victorian soldiers and the Ice Warriors.

When researching the black soldier issue, Gatiss found the story of a black baby called Jimmy Durham who was found on the River Nile by British soldiers in Sudan in 1885 - and later became part of the Durham Light Infantry regiment himself.  

Gbadamosi, who has a law degree from Nottingham Trent University and a management master's from Nottingham Business School, has appeared in at least seven stage shows during his career.

He is next treading the boards in the UK premiere of Branden Jacob-Jenkins's play Gloria at the Hampstead Theatre in North London from this Thursday until July 22.

Doctor Who producer Steven Moffat revealed last year that the show's main role was offered to a black actor before Peter Capaldi but it 'didn't work out'.

He also said that the long-running BBC sci-fi drama may also have two non-white leads after Capaldi's final run, because the show 'needs to do better on that'.

Mr Moffat also said in June 2016 that supporting actress Pearl Mackie, whose father is from the West Indies, is proof of how well diversity works on the show.

The Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, features alongisde Friday, played by Richard Ashton, in the 'Empress of Mars' on Saturday night, which was the ninth episode of 12 in series ten

The Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, features alongisde Friday, played by Richard Ashton, in the 'Empress of Mars' on Saturday night, which was the ninth episode of 12 in series ten

He had also previously said he was disappointed a black actor did not replace Matt Smith and that there was 'no excuse' for not choosing a non-white actor.

It is seen as straightforward to cast an actor with a different appearance to other Doctors because, in the story, the Time Lord can regenerate into any human form.

Mr Moffat has also pointed out in the past that the guest cast are some of the most ethnically diverse on TV.

And he admitted there is 'no excuse' not to use a diverse cast because the fact it is a science fiction gives them more creative licence than a historical drama. 

Last year Luther star Idris Elba said Prince Charles helped him get his break in the entertainment industry as he warned MPs over the lack of black actors on British TV.

The episode told the story of how the Doctor, Bill and Nardole visited Mars in 1888 where there was a war taking place between Victorian soldiers and the Ice Warriors

The episode told the story of how the Doctor, Bill and Nardole visited Mars in 1888 where there was a war taking place between Victorian soldiers and the Ice Warriors

The star spoke in Parliament about the importance of creative industries to the British economy and called for 'imagination' and 'diversity of thought'. 

And last June, job applicants accused the BBC of racial discrimination after being turned down for roles because they are white.

The broadcaster advertised for two junior script writers on 12-month trainee schemes, one of which offered the opportunity to work on Holby City in London.

But some applicants were outraged when HR bosses replied to applications saying that they were only open to people from 'ethnic minority backgrounds'.

Following the Telegraph's report on Gatiss by journalists Camilla Turner and Tony Diver, a BBC spokesman said: 'We cast the best actors for the role.' 

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