There are many reasons for this, some understandable (the possibility of this turning into a gimmick), some downright horrifying (general sexism) and one that's very confusing. This particular argument states that the role of the Doctor has always been male and that this shouldn't change. Really? I mean I kind of get what they're saying. Each Doctor before her has been played by a white male actor (all of whom are brilliant) so a change in the status quo will be jarring. But here's the thing, this isn't the first time that 'Doctor Who' has changed its established status quo, which is demonstrated by two crucial changes in the show's history.
A little background: In 1963, Sydney Newman initially pitched the show as an education show for children with the Doctor acting as a guide and the companions acting as audience surrogates. The time travel element was still there but the past and future settings would be used to teach kids about history and science respectively. He was also strongly against the idea of using 'BEMs' (Bug-Eyed Monsters). He also specifically wanted an old man as the Doctor since that would be most suitable for a mentor. The formula changed when Terry Nation wrote a script featuring the Daleks and though Newman hated it, producer Verity Lambert gave it a fair chance and, because there were no other scripts available, Newman reluctantly allowed it. The story, and the Daleks in particular, proved to be so successful that Newman revoked the no BEMs rule and soon, the show dropped the educational aspect to give a larger focus on the battling monsters angle.
This change was vital to ensuring the show's popularity since the success of the Daleks pushed it to mainstream with other monsters such as the Cybermen and the Weeping Angels becoming just as iconic.
The other change was the idea of regeneration. Originally, though the Doctor would be an alien, he would not change his face and William Hartnell would remain in the role. That changed when Hartnell got too ill to play the role. However, instead of outright cancelling the show for losing its main lead, Newman decided to introduced the idea of 'renewal' (later called regeneration) to ensure that the Doctor can be replaced should the actor choose to leave. As well as this, Hartnell's replacement, Patrick Troughton, decided to play the role differently, opting to play him as an eccentric uncle rather than Hartnell's grumpy grandfather. This ensured the show's longevity since the writers were allowed to explore the character in new and interesting ways so that when the show was at risk of going stale, they could always change the character.
The key word here is change. The show is very different to how it was originally with a new format, cast and crew but still retaining what made the original show so special. The Doctor is no different. The character has evolved from a patriarchal mentor with questionable morals to a hero who believes in gender neutral ideas such as equality, respect for others, kindness, resilience and doing the right thing no matter how hopeless the situation is. Even if the Doctor makes the wrong decisions, he is still justified in his actions.. A woman could embody these ideals just as easily as a man and if upcoming showrunner Chris Chibnall remembers to stay true to the Doctor's character, Jodie Whittaker could be a great Doctor. On top of this, it has recently been established that the Doctor's people, the Time Lords, are gender fluid with characters such as the Master making the change from male to female and even back in the 80s, Sydney Newman was strongly considering replacing Colin Baker with a woman (though that request was declined leading to the casting of Sylvester McCoy)
Now, despite change being vital to the show's survival, I can understand those who are uncomfortable with Peter Capaldi leaving and being replaced with someone who appears to be completely different so let me recall the first time I experienced regeneration.
The year was 2005 and I was watching Christopher Eccleston's final episode as the Doctor: 'The Parting of the Ways.' Though I was somewhat aware of other Doctors, I had no idea that Eccleston was leaving nor did I have a clue about the concept of regeneration so it came as a genuine shock to me when Eccleston suddenly changed into David Tennant. I was scared and confused. After all, I have been so used to the idea of one man playing the Doctor that the idea of the role being handed to a complete stranger was very jarring. As someone with autism, change is difficult to go through especially if I didn't know about it beforehand. Nevertheless, I really liked the show so I gave Tennant a chance and sure enough, he won me over and I even liked him more than Eccleston. Tennant's Doctor became my childhood hero and Doctor Who, as I've already mentioned, has changed my life and since then I was more familiar with the concept of regeneration.
When Tennant announced that he was leaving though, I was even more skeptical that I was with Eccleston. After all, Tennant was a terrific Doctor and I had doubts about his replacement, Matt Smith's ability to fill his shoes. I wasn't the only one as many felt he was too young to take the role. But again, since I loved the show and Smith's debut series looked awesome, I checked him out anyway and though it took me longer to get used to Matt Smith, I thought he was a worthy successor to Tennant. Nowadays, it saddens me when I meet someone who never watched 'Doctor Who' past David Tennant as Matt Smith was great in his own right. It was at this point where regeneration became less scary and more exciting as it allowed me the opportunity to speculate as to who would take on the role and, as I got more familiar with the other Doctors, I was confident that whoever the BBC would be excellent.
When Matt Smith announced that he was leaving, I was sad but also excited as to who could replace him and sure enough, when Peter Capaldi was announced as the 12th Doctor, I was pleased though others were skeptical because they felt he was too old (ironic since William Hartnell was the same age as Capaldi when he first started). It was around this time where a female Doctor became a possibility and to be honest, I didn't want that to happen. The concept of gender-fluid regeneration wasn't firmly established at the time so I was convinced that this wasn't a good idea. However, when Missy was introduced and revealed to be the Master (a typically male character), I warmed up the idea of a female Doctor to the point where my current top choice, Hayley Atwell, is female. So when Jodie Whittaker was announced as the 13th Doctor, I was happy despite the fact that I have only heard of her this weekend. And now? I'm waiting to see what Whittaker and Chris Chibnall has to offer and Broadchurch is now a must buy.
The point of this anecdote is that no matter who they cast and no matter how different the Doctor appears to be, the Doctor is still the Doctor and I can guarantee you that you would be upset when she leaves.
So yes, a female Doctor is unheard of but it's not out of place with the show's ideology. Change is important as it potentially allows for better things to happen. We would still be in the stone age if not for change. 'Doctor Who' and its 12 actors are a shining example of how good change can be since it demonstrates that change can make a struggling TV show into a worldwide phenomenon. So long as you understand the importance of change, then the idea of a female Doctor won't seem so scary.
Good luck Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall. Here's hoping that you two will pull it off spectacularly.
That concludes this thought from an autistic mind. What do you think of this new development in Doctor Who? Do you agree with my statements about change? Do you think Jodie Whittaker is a good choice? Why/Why not? Leave your thoughts in the comments below (And please be civil! I can't abide sexism and the social media side of 'Doctor Who' is already depressing me). Please give this post a share, like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' and leave any suggestions on what topics you want me to cover next. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet!
Very eloquently put sir. I think Mr Chibnell is going to be amazing because I've enjoyed all his episodes, he's a strong writer and I don't believe he is going to be one to change for changes sake...also the old Beeb isn't going to just cast willy nilly on it's flagship show, it's going to be thorough and I genuinely think that every time they've cast the Doctor, they've cast brilliantly well!
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