Doctor Who fans are cheering on the Time Lord for attacking a racist character in Saturday night’s episode.

The episode entitled Thin Ice saw Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and his sidekick Bill, played by Pearl Mackie, travel to 1814 London where they tackled the issues of racism and child slavery.

Doctor Who
The Doctor and Bill confront a racist (BBC)

At the beginning of the programme, Bill said: “Regency England – bit more black than I realised.”

The Doctor replied: “So was Jesus. History’s a whitewash.”

Later in the episode, the time-travelling pair visited the house of a rich businessman who insulted Bill and shouted at her for not standing up when he entered the room, telling her that she should “respect her betters”.

The 12th Time Lord, who had been trying to verify whether the man was human or alien, punched him to the ground for the comment.

Bill commented: “Pretty convincing racism for an extra-terrestrial,” and the Doctor replied: “My thoughts exactly.”

:: Doctor Who continues on May 6 at 7.20pm on BBC One.