I was never really in favor of a female Doctor, but not because I’m against a woman playing the role. My objection was more fear that they’d screw it up. Already I’m seeing comments about bras in the TARDIS and “Doctor Whooters” and it pisses me off.
When I saw the image of Jodie Whittaker in the costume (black hoodie, gray overcoat) part of me cheered (and not only because I’m itching to do that cosplay!). I know it’s not going to be her regular costume, but how badass she looked. Smart. Confident. In control. That’s what I want my female Doctor to be. I want her to be every bit as badass as the male Doctors before her.
What I don’t want:
I don’t want to hear about her underwear (nor do I want to see it, either on her or hanging around the TARDIS).
I don’t want any jokes about her gender, unless she’s making them herself. (Missy, if they somehow ever bring her back, is the other exception)
I don’t want her to routinely end up in situations where her gender is an issue.
I don’t want her to end up with a young male action-hero companion so the writers are tempted to have him be the one doing the cool stuff or having the good ideas.
For a while at least, until she establishes her bona fides, I don’t want her having to be rescued by anyone - particularly anyone male.
Above all, I don’t want anyone–ANYONE!–to even hint at sexually assaulting her. Not even any jokes. None. Zero. Ever.
Dammit, BBC, do this right. You picked a good one - now don’t screw it up by resorting to the easy, tired, gender-related stuff. Just let her be The Doctor. She’s over two thousand years old - she should be over this kind of crap by now.
Oh, and I hope they’re careful about picking her companions. IMO, she should either have a woman (Osgood would be cool!), an older man (somebody like Wilf, or Rory’s dad), or an alien as a companion. It’s really too bad it looks like Nardole won’t be back–or Bill, for that matter. Those three would make a good TARDIS team.
There are core elements that remain with different … secondary features … and some of the secondary personality elements from past Doctors end up making cameo reappearances as new actors/writers reinterpret.
My guess is that that is the premise they are setting up for the Christmas special. There is one The Doctor at the core, a character mad enough to be stolen by a Tardis with a strong moral compass, a huge ego, a bit of an anti-authoritarian streak, and some impulse issues, with each regeneration perhaps highlighting different aspects of personality as the character grows. The superficial form is just an expression of that. It is not just shared memories.
The challenge for this much of a change in the superficial form is to well channel other aspects of the core personality of The Doctor.
Anyone have a cite for this claim (that BBC reassured people no female Doctor)? I’m skeptical, mostly because they seem not to reveal anything about the selection process. In fact, if the actor hadn’t announced he was moving on, we might not even know that the Doctor was changing.
I don’t need assuring of anything. I provided my honest, initial reaction to a news announcement. I’m a emotional guy. Always have been and always will be.
Other fans have been pestering the BBC about these rumors of a female Doctor.
It may come as a surprise but lots of fans aren’t happy. I may be the lone voice on the SDMB. Go out on social media and you’ll hear much stronger feelings than I ever expressed.
I’m going to give the new Doctor a chance. Watch the Premiere and then decide if I want to stick with the show.
A statement from someone who didn’t know anything about the casting decisions and wasn’t authorized to say anything is hardly the same as “the BBC has been reassuring fans for months there were no plans for a female Doctor.”
Is that how you dealt with the male Doctors?- “Screw character development-if they don’t get it right from the very start, I’m walking!”
If I recall correctly, more than one Doctor took a bit of time to even figure out what the fuck was going on, or even who they were, so I’ve got to ask: How many times have you dropped watching the show so far because the character wasn’t what you wanted it to be from their very first episode?
A lot of “fans” on “social media” lost their shit when Daniel Craig was announced as James Bond. A lot of those fans stopped whining once it became apparent that the world wasn’t going to end and the pipeline of goofy, sexist action films would continue to pump.
If the stories are good, it’ll all be fine. And in another 5-10 years it will be no big deal at all, and all the people getting hysterical over this will look ridiculous.
I showed my 10-year-old son the announcement clip and he said “Wow, that’s great. It’s been a long time coming.”
I know I’ve seen Jodie Whittaker in Attack the Block and on Black Mirror but I never really watched Broadchurch. Nonetheless, I am interested in her take on the Doctor and excited to see the next series. Kind of wish she was ginger in this though.
Apart from Three’s Venusian aikido (and one use of that discipline by another of his regenerations with a virtual lollipop for whoever knows which other Doctor) the Doctor has never been an action-hero kind of figure. So I agree completely. The Doctor wins with cleverness, not by action-heroics.
Why would it come as a surprise? Lots of fans get unhappy every time the Doctor regenerates, if there were no irate fans when a regeneration is hinted at, shown, or, announced, or when the new doctor is guessed at, announced, or shown, I’d think something was seriously wrong. The fact that some ‘fans’ are unhappy because “ew, girl cooties” kind of gets lost with all of the other regeneration angst.
Damn I’m seeing a lot of woman haters out there. There’s really no other reason to oppose the new Doctor being female. No one complained when The Master came back as a woman but when it’s The Docotr all of a sudden it’s a big deal.
