SEAN Pigott (Letters, October 9) proposes that the surrogate family substituting for a sidekick to Jodie Whittaker's female Dr Who is a manifestation of unintended sexism on the part of the writers. But Malorie Blackman is one of the new writers on the Dr Who team, which makes the choice to replace the "sexual companion" sidekick with a network of allies more likely a result of laser sharp, anti-sexist judgment. How much more interesting the series will be as it explores the relations between the Doctor and their (for the Doctor is not gendered, it is after all an alien) allies in their collective fight against chaos and cruelty.

Simone Hutchinson,

Dorchester Avenue, Glasgow.