Doctor Who writer laughs off “most influential” tag

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TV guru Russell T Davies has dismissed the Independent on Sunday’s Pink List as “slightly demeaning” and laughed off their assertion that he is the most influential gay person in the UK.

The 2007 List, which was published in May, said of Davies:

“They said Doctor Who could never be revived but Davies made it witty, sexy, slick and scary – and made Saturday evening telly compulsory again.

“He made his name with the ground-breaking Channel 4 drama Queer As Folk, but proof that the 44-year-old has taken over the mainstream came when he was named Industry Player of the Year at the Edinburgh International Television Festival.

“Populist and clever, this genius was the overwhelming choice of our panel.”

In an interview with the Pink Paper, the Doctor Who executive producer laughed off the claim.

“Bollocks, am I hell!

“I had nothing to do with that decision.

“A bunch of people sat down at the Independent and decided that, and next year I’ll be number 105.

“I mean I hope, I think, I do good work and I’ll be very visible as a gay man because I think that’s very important, but in terms of being influential when there are people out there fighting for changes in the law, homophobia in schools. That’s influence.

“What’s influential? I mean it’s a funny old question, who’s the most influential straight person in the world?

“We don’t apply that question to straight people. The category itself is slightly demeaning.”

The Independent on Sunday list placed EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Spencer Livermore, until last month the Prime Minister’s Director of Political Strategy, at numbers six and seven.

Livermore was named the most influential LGBT politician in the UK by PinkNews.co.uk in December, with Mr Mandelson third.

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