Jodie Whittaker is going to be the Thirteenth Doctor. We all know why this is a big deal—not just because the role is being taken up by yet another accomplished and talented actor, but because she will be the first woman to do it. I just have a small request to that effect:
Please don’t make the Doctor deal with sexism now that she’s a woman.
But sexism is a thing! the world cries. The past was sexist! The present is sexist! The future will likely be sexist since we’re nowhere near to solving these problems! This issue has and will continue to affect women, and shouldn’t Doctor Who do its best to reflect the real struggles that woman face now that the Doctor is female?
Here’s the thing… No. No, it shouldn’t.
Doctor Who has made attempts in the past to tackle sexism head-on. A few of the Doctor’s companions in the show’s original run were meant to combat stigmas outright: the Third Doctor’s companion Liz Shaw was a scientist, and such a no-nonsense one that she was quickly replaced by the more affable Jo Grant; Sarah Jane Smith was a journalist, who frequently challenged the Doctor and others that she met along the way as to her potential and capabilities. Within the show’s current run, the Doctor often changes his mind as to how concerned companions should be about sexism and social mores; the Ninth Doctor has Rose change her clothes in “The Unquiet Dead” over concern of her starting a riot in modern dress while they visit 1869 Cardiff, Wales. Later on, the Tenth Doctor explains away Rose’s short skirt and tights to Queen Victoria by insisting that she’s a feral child that he’s been chasing after in “Tooth and Claw.” The point is, these problems can and do crop up anywhere—but the show has never been consistent in how it’s chosen to handle sexism.
Because we’re in the midst of movements that are meant to shine a light on the disparity and abuse that women face day to day (Me Too, Time’s Up), it might be tempting for Doctor Who to comment on the times, to show that even our hero has to deal with more than the usual garbage once she’s facing life as a woman. There’s just one problem with that: It goes against all the central tenets that make up the Doctor as a character.
The Doctor is the thinking person’s hero, an agent of compassion and kindness, the one who solves problems with words and cleverness and understanding. And because the Doctor is so intelligent, the character rarely has difficulty walking into a room and assuming control over any given situation. Up until now, that ability has always been wielded by a white man—a fact that, depending on who the Doctor is assuming superiority over, can read as sexist, racist, or even outright imperialist in nature. (Indeed, there are readings of the show that support that notion very well.) But there’s another side to that coin, which is that the Doctor is specifically a wish-fulfillment fantasy for geeky people.
While none of us are likely to achieve super-strength any time soon, most nerds fancy that their greatest merit is knowing things. Geeks have always been known for their obsessive natures—the term “fan” literally comes from fanatic. The idea that knowledge and intelligence is essential to heroism is an idea borne out in many of the figures that geeks specifically relate to and adore, from Sherlock Holmes to Spock. But pointedly, those figures are often portrayed by and as cisgender, able-bodied white men. There are a few beloved characters that allow for deviation from that norm—Willow in Buffy, Felicity and Cisco in the Arrowverse, Barbara Gordon as Oracle in DC Comics—but they’re never the main deal. They are sidekicks and/or essential support to the main heroes. This is what makes Doctor Who different from most mainstream SFF narratives; the nerd is the hero. The nerd is the mythic archetype. The nerd is the universe’s legendary protagonist.
And for the very first time, that legend will be female.
Wish fulfillment is essential on a number of levels. It’s not just about the representation when all is said and done—while it’s important to see a broad array people inhabiting every role imaginable, how we treat those people also makes a difference. If the Doctor is a woman and we suddenly find that the denizens of the universe refuse to trust her out of hand because she’s no longer a man… well, then that’s not the Doctor. Or it is, but it’s the Doctor on a show that doesn’t remember why so many people adore its main character.
Women and girls deserve the same hero, who is permitted to act with the same authority and win the same trust that all the previous iterations were granted. If that is taken from her, then the show is breaking its contract with the viewers. The Doctor is free to be an incredible whirlwind of knowledge, change, and fierce caring… unless she’s a woman, and then people are free to get in her way because that’s how being a woman works. Sorry, ladies—the truth of your existence broke our imaginations. We can conceive of galaxies worth of peril, alien friends and foes, time travel and loops and paradoxes, but we couldn’t possibly fathom a universe in which a woman can go about her life being brilliant without someone “well actually”ing her.
Buy the Book
Binti
Of course, the show might address sexism as it could affect a Time Lord/Lady, do it briefly and well, and then move on from it. If Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker take that route, I wish them the best of luck and cross my fingers that they do it successfully. But regardless of whether or not the show chooses to handle that concept in a meaningful capacity, I will hope that it is a succinct and short conversation that doesn’t dominate the character and her tenure. Some of the fans of this show have waited over half a century to see this barrier leapt over. To give them something they have clamored for, and then sour the experience by dragging down one of genre’s most lively heroes for the sake of perceived relevance or realism, would be plain depressing.
The fact that we’re in such a harrowing period when it comes to addressing the treatment of women in professional settings (where new abusers are being outed nearly every week) makes this even more essential. Seeing the Doctor advocate for women should always be a part of the show’s makeup, but watching the Doctor herself be attacked, abused, or disbelieved for being female… it’s the kind of reflection we’re already seeing everywhere. Right now, women could use a few more champions. We could benefit from seeing a woman be the smartest/most capable/most helpful person in the room and getting respect for it. And frankly, men could stand to gain from that example, too.
Besides, Doctor Who is still a family show that is aimed at children and teenagers as much as adults. Many of the reactions to Thirteen’s reveal by the BBC were videos of little girls, their jaws dropped, their eyes large with possibility. After being taught to relate over and over to a man—or perhaps only his companions—the Doctor was a little bit closer. A little bit more like them. And every single one of those wide-eyed kids deserves to see a Doctor who can do all the things that the Doctor always does. They don’t need to see people claim that she can’t, or that she won’t, or that she has no power to do those things. Thirteen belongs to them, too.
We don’t always need science fiction and fantasy to teach us more about the horrors of the world we know. Sometimes we need these stories to show us how it can be done without fear, or malice, or pain. Sometimes we need a little utopia before crashing back down to Earth. So while I expect the next Doctor to run into her fair share of trouble, as that’s something she’s always been fond of, I’m still hoping that she’ll be able to find it without anyone being surprised that “a girl!” can do all that.
Emmet Asher-Perrin is gonna cosplay the heck out of the 13th Doctor regardless, though. You can bug her on Twitter and Tumblr, and read more of her work here and elsewhere.
Not creating a female Gallifreyan from scratch, so to speak, who is equal to the Doctor in all things and superior in some is misogynist. They could’ve done that with River Song but didn’t. And now . . . same ol’ misogyny.
@drcox. The original series did do that, with Romana.Or, if you prefer Villains, The Rani.
Disagree. It definitely should. There’s no way she’d get the same respect in Unicorn and the Wasp as Tennant did. It’s just how that works.
I agree with this whole heartedly, and am glad the author could articulate it so clearly.
Well done. And thank you.
A quick comment to EMG; I mean no disrespect, but I think you may have missed the point. Because that’s “just how that works” is not quite a vaild counterargument to the idea that there are more important characteristics to some stories and characters than realism. It’s a fair, if poorly explained, critisism of someone who is attempting realism and misses, but doesn’t really apply in this context.
Fingers crossed for good story telling. I did not watch most of 12 run as the Doctor, because the storytelling was so-so.
I’m thinking they will keep her off of Earth History more. Which is not a bad thing. But would be easier to ignore all the “well actually” that could happen.
Again, fingers crossed for good story telling.
I don’t think it should make that much of a difference to the storytelling. After all, the Doctor has frequently been been portrayed as someone who started out not being taken seriously but winning people over through his knowledge and natural leadership. The Second Doctor was a funny little cosmic hobo in shabby clothes who initially didn’t seem to know what he was doing, so he was often not taken seriously at first by the people he encountered. The Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eleventh Doctors had similar trouble getting taken seriously at first glance. Not to mention all the times the Doctor showed up in the middle of a crisis and was immediately under suspicion as a stowaway or a stranger and ended up being accused, arrested, or even sentenced to summary execution. It’s an established part of the Doctor Who story dynamic for the Doctor to start out mistrusted, dismissed, or even actively condemned by the people he encounters, yet eventually prevail over their small-minded intolerance and convince them to work with him, or else align with more open-minded allies against the intolerant authorities who emerge as the main villains.
So since the Doctor has routinely had to prevail against prejudice based on being an outsider or a weirdo or looking or acting the wrong way, throwing in prejudice based on gender wouldn’t necessarily change the storytelling that much. It’s always been the Doctor’s way to face dismissal or intolerance and ultimately prevail over it simply by being right, by being the only one with the answers and overcoming people’s doubts and mistrust through sheer competence and strength of will. The Doctor would bulldoze past gender prejudice the same way her previous selves have bulldozed past other forms of intolerance and condescension. Heck, frankly it’d be a relief to return to that dynamic after the Moffat era where the nations of Earth literally made the Doctor ruler of the planet in an emergency.
“the term “fan” literally comes from fanatic.”
I’ve always doubted this etymology. It seems labored, like it’s going out of its way to cast aspersions on fans by equating them with irrational extremists. I prefer the alternative etymology that I first learned about from one of David Gerrold’s books (probably 1973’s The World of Star Trek) — that “fan” is short for “fancier,” i.e. someone who fancies (likes, favors, enjoys) a thing. That seems a much more natural, less forced derivation to me.
I’m not a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley because of what was revealed about her after she died, but she did make a very good point in one of her early forewords of the SWORD AND SORCERESS anthologies. She said that she didn’t want stories about some woman facing men and proving she was worthy because that point was already made and to repeat it was redundant. Instead, she wanted the women to just act in a worthy or powerful manner.
I agree with Emily here. The point has already been made in society so The Doctor has no need to make it again. The problem is not that people don’t get that point, but some simply don’t care and that won’t change with another noble speech from The Doctor. Let her actions speak.
I love your insight in this matter. Thank you for not only stating a good point, about how this new change in the Doctor could be a good influence to those who feel they have no power, but also for making a statement on women that a lot of people in my daily life tend to deny, even as they treat me the stereotypical way any woman would be treated. Thank you for being a voice when I feel like I have no power. Hearing you speak and give notice to the issue, when others would deny it, gives me hope that I’ll be seen as an equal by my peers and family one day.
Apropos of nothing, at ConnectiCon this past weekend, I saw two people cosplaying Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. One was female, one was male. It was awesome.
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
Emily: affect/effect
@2: Agreed. Romana went from strength to strength, helped in no small measure by two strong actresses and writing which mainly took her seriously – so seriously, in fact, that when John Nathan-Turner came in as the new producer he saw nothing but a superteam of invincible characters. Of course, that meant Romana had to go.
I’m the stereotypical cranky middle-aged while male nerd who’s been a fan of Doctor Who for 40+ years. (Heck, I’m even typing this on my computer in the basement.) Part of me hopes that no ‘agendas’ are on the table, as they would make this patently obvious and distract from the show itself. Doctor Who has not shied away from presenting specific points of view on contentious issues, but has usually presented it in such an engaging and entertaining manner that one does not realize what has taken place until reflecting on it afterwards. Whether it is Common Market membership (the two Peladon stories), Margaret Thatcher (The Happiness Patrol), mixed-race couples (see how they slid that in so casually starting with Rose and Mickey and moving on to both of Donna’s love interests), or various same-sex relationships, it’s the storytelling and the acting which have sold us old fogies on new ideas and concepts.
I have faith in Chris Chibnal, the incoming producer. His work on the three series of Broadchurch, including themes such as relationships with minors, the death of a child, the strain of criminal proceedings on families and communities, and the trauma of sexual assault and the need for modern policing to be very sensitive to the victim, show someone who is willing to put in the time to learn about what he wants to say.
The real test in this house will be how my wife feels about the new series, as no Doctor has caught her attention since Christopher Eccleston.
@10: Fixed, thanks!
Given that the Doctor is a total stranger, often weirdly dressed, ALWAYS behaving oddly, I really doubt being male got him all that much credibility.
My hope is now they’ve got a female Doctor to play with the writers will stop creating super-heroine companions, who BTW were never stopped by sexism or racism.
I’m a little bit torn on this one. For the most part, I absolutely agree but I do think there is some potential for storytelling gold here. I’m thinking something along the lines of the doctor being a woman is a complete non issue for most of the season but then at the end of the season finding herself in Victorian England or wild west America or some such place and being completely baffled and confused about people’s attitude towards her. An episode that’s not so much about sexism in itself but rather the Doctor’s perception of humans and how experiencing sexism as a female human could alter her perceptions.
@13/wingracer: For what it’s worth, there’s long been some precedent in fiction for female protagonists who were respected for abilities that were seen as exceptional for their sex, women who proved themselves “the equal of any man.” The B movies of the ’50s and ’60s often had the lone female character be a scientist who’d proven her genius and talent and was more or less accepted by the men around her because of her ability. Decades earlier, Arthur Conan Doyle gave us Irene Adler as a woman who was every bit the intellectual equal of Sherlock Holmes, and indeed just about the only person who ever outsmarted him. (See also Madame Vastra.) And there were women in real life whose abilities were too impressive to ignore, like the crusading, globetrotting reporter Nellie Bly or the Pinkerton detective and Civil War spy Kate Warne. People with extreme competence and skill have a way of winning respect despite prejudices; they just get perceived as exceptions to the norm. I’d imagine a female Doctor would be seen much the same way.
There’s plenty of precedent in reality too. Human beings are not known for their consistency. It is perfectly possible to hold negative beliefs about a class and yet except those member you personally know.
This is an excellent article. I’m so frustrated by the amount of negativity aimed at this show for now having The Doctor portrayed by a female.
I don’t think that true fans of The Doctor will need to see this latest regeneration have to deal with sexism. After all, maybe sexism is not a part of life in other planets and galaxies? (And if it is, it could be just the opposite of what it is here on this planet)
Folks who think this gender issue is giving in to PC or feminist BS are not the type of people who would be interested in a show about an intelligent being stepping in to try to stop the destruction of a race or planet because of the perceived inferiority of those being destroyed.
I really believe that a lot of the vitriol is coming from men who have never watched the show, or at least are not real fans of the show. Living here in America has gotten so rude and disrespectful (see current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as prime example of name-calling and lack of concern/understanding for anyone not like themselves, which means “let the insults fly!!!!”) people no longer abide by the old maxim of “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything”
Oh, and I do see the irony of my comment!!!!
True fans of the show would not be making such childish comments as seen on “mainstream” online arenas as Yahoo, Huffpost, etc..The list is too long to continue, you get my point.)
I’ve tried making these comments on other sites, and gotten thumbs down, which just proves my point that the people screaming the loudest about how a female Doctor is the ruination of the show, are not actual watchers of the show.
I am typing this on my phone, tried really hard to check for errors, but totally missed that I spelled my NAME wrong!!!!
The post by “Regima” was actually by “Regina”
I need new glasses, and/or smaller thumbs!!!
@6: My mind immediately went to the Second Doctor too. This scene at the beginning of The Ice Warriors (starts at 10:21) is the quintessential scene of the Doctor being dismissed for his appearance, yet earning respect from his skills.
You can’t Mary Sue a Time Lord. Whatever the body looks like, the Doctor is the Doctor.
Whittaker’s Doctor is the most experienced and powerful incarnation because hers is the most recent. It’s really that simple. Additionally she’s a tremendous performer with all the resources of the BBC production team behind her. There will be the usual period of “not MY Doctor,” and Whovians will mostly come around. It’s been this way since Hartnell became Troughton.
If you approach this season from a starting point other than this one, you might have an agenda.
@19/Arnie: You’re right that most people will probably come around, but the experience of other fandoms makes it clear that there’s bound to be a toxically misogynistic subset of fandom that violently refuses to accept the worth of a female lead no matter what. For years now, any women who’ve made names for themselves in gaming, SF, or comics have been subjected to severe harassment and death threats. I doubt Who fandom will be immune to that toxicity any more than Star Wars or Star Trek or other fandoms have been.
Jodie Whittaker could pull off this new doctor persona. It leaves opportunities for many storylines and new outcomes. The only problem I see this show having are the feminists that are going to try and take advantage of this new change. I really hope they stay true to who the doctor is whether there male or female instead of making the entire show about sexism.
The Doctor is frequently mistrusted and belittled on first appearance, and will continue to be, regardless of gender. When a villain or pessimist misgauges a protagonist’s abilities, a narrative device is activated. The protagonist is now cast as an underdog and is actively uninvited from discussion – they must prevail on wit and ability alone, until they are ultimately presented with an opportunity to reverse their misfortune, or the misfortune of people they are seeking to liberate, often through one signature grand gesture that extends from the core of their being. The fact that this triumph of will comes as a surprise to others in the narrative makes us feel a bond with that character, as though we surmounted the odds along with them. It is a joyous thing to triumph in this way, especially despite adversity. This is a summary of the majority of Dr. Who narratives.
Importantly, life is adversity. The Doctor is not above adversity, rather, the Doctor chooses to be entangled in adversity and the struggle for freedom and peace. The Doctor regenerating as female presents a great opportunity to address sexism – not in a campy way, in which characters are getting laughs at the expense of a “helpless” woman, but through simply showing that the Doctor doesn’t care. Misogyny is a mental limitation – the Doctor views it as such and will continue to do so – a thing to be defied and dismantled. Interestingly, as often happens with the sennex/wise old man archetype, the Doctor frequently chooses to appear clueless in order to disarm others, ultimately revealing a much more complex and magical nature at a critical impasse, thereby teaching readers/viewers a lesson. What better place to employ that than now, with a female Doctor? How would subverting those expectations be anything short of empowering? Misogyny isn’t a statement on the subject, rather, it is a statement on the person who harbors said misogyny in their thought process. If you can use this weakness against someone, why not exploit it? I fully expect to see these concepts played out in the new season, and I have no problem with the show taking on real life issues. Neither should you.
The Doctor should have never been regenerated as a woman. Do I have a thing against women, no. The change ruins the show for me.
The story line is and has been stated in the show itself that the Doctor is the same person but with a different face. That person may be tall or thin, curly or straight hair, friendly or arrogant, young or old but always a white male.
If writers or creators will mess with the Doctor by changing his established sex of TV airing of 50 years and the character in the story for some 1200 years has always been male then I want nothing to do with the show. Is K9 coming back as a cat in the future?
After 40 years of watching Dr Who I have stopped with this female doctor. If I watch any of the shows it will be the first 12 versions.
Quote: The Doctor is the thinking person’s hero, an agent of compassion and kindness, the one who solves problems with words and cleverness and understanding.
This is one facet of the Doctor, for sure. But there are more hard edged versions that are equally legitimate.
@23/Mike Preston: Men and women aren’t so very different. A female Doctor can still be “the same person but with a different face”. “Friendly or arrogant” seems to me a bigger difference.
In contrast, dogs and cats are not only different species, they’re different families.
When they’re going into the future or to a different galaxy that’s makes sense. Fully get it- Wonderful wish fulfilment fantasy/sci-fi.
But when she travels back to the victorian times or medieval times I think we should be allowed to be shown how shitty our dumbass ancestors are- then she breaks their expectations because she’s the Doctor. Surely that’d be a decent setup for solid drama?
Well, I give. I’ve tried to post a fairly long response to this three times, and it keeps silently failing. I assume I’m hitting some language filter or whatever. So I’ll just have to say: I appreciate your perspective, as it’s not one i can really relate to directly, but I can’t say I fully understand it. Being confronted with discrimination isn’t the same thing as being defeated by it, and it seems to me that if there’s anyone who can stare down sexism and come out on top, it’s the Doctor. She doesn’t have to exist in a world where it doesn’t exist, and I have trouble imagining any world where she doesn’t actively seek it out and confront it wherever it lurks. Just like every other evil the Doctor’s faced. It’s what she does.
Whatever way they decide to go with Thirteen, I’m looking forward to seeing how she confronts a universe that’s never once been ready for her, and probably won’t be any more ready this thirteenth time around.
I know you’re right when it comes to sexism being a big thing today. But you do have to admit, taking control hasn’t always been easy for the Doctor. I can think of quite a few episodes from the last season or two where the doctor couldn’t get control right away and he basically sat it out until the people were desperate. Should sexism run the show? No, because there actually ARE people who aren’t sexist. But I do think that it should be dealt with at least every now and again, because if not where’s the struggle. How entertaining is it really going to be if the Doctor just comes into a room and is just instantly recognized and everyone just shuts up?
@27/ferndyc: “Being confronted with discrimination isn’t the same thing as being defeated by it, and it seems to me that if there’s anyone who can stare down sexism and come out on top, it’s the Doctor.”
Yes. That’s just what I’m saying. There have been multiple times when the Doctor has arrived in a situation and immediately been accused of murder or declared an enemy, arrested, and sentenced to summary execution. If the Doctor has always managed to transcend that level of negative first impression, then even the most rabid sexism is barely going to pose a challenge.
I will agree with you on one thing out the gate: the show should definitely NEVER even allude to sexism and PC. However, while I agree with a select few more of your points, I find the concept of this article itself highly ironically sexist and misogynistic. Due respect, but you are promoting sexism, yet just from another angle. That doesn’t mean we cannot have Time Ladies (I’d very much welcome that!). But gender swapping is not only ridiculous, but it is proveably against canon, and was simply done as a way to promote and validate PC culture and ideology. And it is going to destroy the show. Sadly. So forgive me if my blunt, frustrated (yet accurate) words are offensive. But if they are, it simply validates my point and reveals a PC double standard; it’s ok for the Doctor to become a woman against canon for the sake of political motives, but it’s sexist to follow canon and keep him the male hero he is/always has been/should stay. But not to want the Doctor to become a woman? Hmm.
There is NOTHING wrong with tackling the important social issues of today! Never! But destroying a legacy to make a point? There are better, fairer, less confrontational and destructive ways to do it. Why couldn’t y’all have tried that route instead first?
hank you for your article
@30/The Valeyard: “But gender swapping is not only ridiculous”
Not at all. There are plenty of genderfluid or non-binary people out there who do it all the time. Not to mention people who actually surgically transition to a different anatomical sex, but that’s usually about making their anatomy fit what their psychological gender has been all along. What’s ridiculous is the antiquated notion that gender is purely binary and immutable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genderqueer
Plus there’s the fact that this is a show about a phone booth that’s bigger on the inside and travels through time and space so the people inside it can fight monsters and robots and demons, and yet genderfluidity is the part you find too unbelievable???
“it is proveably against canon”
It’s Doctor Who. It has three mutually contradictory versions of the fall of Atlantis and can’t make up its mind whether the UNIT adventures happened in the ’70s or the ’80s. And the so-called “canon” of regeneration has been reinvented constantly. It wasn’t even called regeneration until the third time it happened. First it was “renewal” and was “part of the TARDIS.” Then it was something the Time Lords induced as merely a “change of appearance.” Then it finally got codified as a life-saving process of cellular regeneration, and a few years after that it was established that it could only happen 12 times and nothing in the universe could add more to the cycle — until a few years later when the Time Lords casually offered the Master a new regeneration cycle. Then the new series added the whole “regeneration energy” device and revealed all sorts of new things about the process, like the “grace period” in which limbs could be regrown, and of course years’ worth of seeding of the idea that Time Lords could change gender, from the Corsair to the General to the Master.
The very concept of regeneration has, fittingly, continued to evolve and change over the past 50 years, because that’s what fictional concepts do. “Canon” does not mean immutability; it just means the original version of the story as distinct from its derivative versions by other creators/owners, and every story is subject to change because it’s a construct of the imagination. Marvel Comics has a single “canon” but it’s constantly moved the timeframe forward so that events that originally happened in the 1960s or earlier are now claimed to have happened in the 21st century. Even a canon is just a story like any other, and stories evolve and grow with new storytellers and new audiences.
I’ve been wary of a few of the new Doctors over the years. I only knew Sylvester McCoy from kids TV where he was a very silly clown who put animals down his trousers. But he was a great Doctor. It would have been like casting Barry Chuckle in the role. Known for being daft and ridiculous and part of a very silly double act, then taking the role seriously and blowing us away with how good he was. I felt the same with Jodie. I was wary of having a woman in the role. Not because I was all “Oh the Doctors a man and I’ll never watch it again because they have made it SJW”, but because I thought it would be a dangerous change because of the backlash. I watched the leaked 50 seconds of footage and was immediately won over. It had enough to show Jodie was no different to all the men who had previously played the role. Despite being spoiler free, she was shown entering and immediately taking charge, leaving the humans trailing behind in a cloud of confusion. Who is this strange woman? Why are we following behind? Why is she so random and firing questions at us at 90mph? It actually made me excited for the new series.
As others have said, the Doctor often walks into a situation and is immediately dismissed or treated with hostility. I doubt very much if her gender is going to be that big a deal compared to her total randomness and suddenly appearing where she shouldn’t do. It would actually be quite funny to appear in a historical setting and have everyone treat her like “the little lady” and constantly assuming Bradley Walsh was in charge. Doctor Who loves mining the comedy of the situation and it would be bad writing not to address it.
My main problem is the costume. When she appeared in the reveal she looked stunning. She was beautiful and dressed in a practical but stylish outfit. I was impressed. Having a Doctor who would take advantage of the Tardis wardrobe and wear clothes that looked good on her was exciting. Jodie is stunningly beautiful and in all her pictures she dresses really well and looks wonderful. She has a great sense of style and always appears regal and confident. I really hate the clown chic they went with for her Doctor. It just smacks too much of Colins eccentric and garish appearance. If I was in a dangerous situation and someone appeared dressed like they should be on a saturday morning kids show waving a rubber chicken I’d have a lot of difficulty taking her seriously. None of the other powerful women on the show have ever dressed so “interestingly”. Romana, The Rani, River Song, Missy. Their own styles, yes. somewhat eccentric, frequently. But none of them had to work to overcome their outfit to be taken seriously. I’ve seen some people absolutely rave about the costume, but I can’t see it myself.
i actually think they missed a trick casting Jodie. I’m sure she is going to be brilliant, but I’d have like to have seen someone a bit quirkier in the role. We know they can’t afford someone like Tilda Swinton or Helen Mirren, even though they would knock it out of the park, but I was rooting for someone like Miriam Margolyes or Josette Simon. A bit older, but talented and interesting and known for being stunning actors within the price range the BBC is looking at.
@30, I must disagree. It seems to me that regeneration would definitely put a change of sex on the table. In the case of the Doctor Twelve has seen Missy and how a change of sex also ultimately led to a change of personality. He feels he needs to change too, that he can’t go on the way he has for twelve incarnations. He doesn’t choose to become female, it seems to have been the result of his desire for a change.
I could have wished they’d chosen a less conventionally pretty actress for the role but I’m ready to give her a chance.
One thing that’s occurred to me is that the Doctor is on a new cycle of regenerations now. By all rights, he should’ve died on Trenzalore, but the Time Lords somehow gave him a whole new set of 12 (13?) extra lives. So maybe the rules are different now. Maybe the new infusion of regeneration energy is more versatile than the energy the Doctor was born with. Even if he was incapable of changing sex or race before, that no longer needs to be the case.
You know, there has already been a Dr.Who spin-off with a primary female character -“The Sarah Jane Adventures”- and, as many have pointed out, even us unenlightened elderly white males would have been absolutely delighted with a new series featuring a Time Lady, whether the Rani, Ramona, or somebody else. Fact is though, when you take an iconic male character and make him female, you are pushing an agenda, and you should not be surprised or outragaged by some push back. Who knows, maybe this will be the best Doctor ever, but go easy on the sexism charges.
@35/Oldfan: Keeping a character male is pushing an agenda too. The only difference is that it’s the agenda you want pushed.
@36/ChristopherlBennet. Yep, completely agree.
It’s not necessary to vilify fans who feel this is blatant gender appropriation. I’m willing to give a female Doctor a try. So far I’ve been happy with all the casting choices if not always the writers.
“If the Doctor is a woman and we suddenly find that the denizens of the universe refuse to trust her out of hand because she’s no longer a man…
“We can conceive of galaxies worth of peril, alien friends and foes, time travel and loops and paradoxes, but we couldn’t possibly fathom a universe in which a woman can go about her life being brilliant without someone ‘well actually’ing her.”
Asher-Perrin is on to something. It is absurdly parochial for us to imagine that the “denizens of the universe“ — species with one sex or, maybe, 13 sexes — will react to the Doctors according to early 21st century Terran cultural templates. An approach that recognizes the intergalactic and transtemporal milieu would be better science fiction (though, perhaps, less accessible to the mass audience).
I’d like to see the Doctor stop suddenly and ask, “Um, remind me. Which race and which sex are considered dominant in this particular culture?” In any of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean world, for example, all the Doctors, with their unattractively pale skin, would be dismissed as barbarian slaves from the North.
And if a denizen of a patriarchal human culture does try to patronize the new Doctor? I imagine it would end up like somebody trying to patronize Margaret Thatcher in her prime: nothing left of him but an oily spot on the floor.
My initial thought was the same as Ms. Asher-Perrin’s — that for at least the first season, they’d just keep the Doctor out of Earth’s past. It’s easy enough to do; the show has been far too tied to Earth since 2005 anyway. But then I’ve heard (slight spoilers) that they plan to visit history in this season, and I came around to Mr. Bennett’s way of thinking — just let her bulldoze through any objections, the way the Doctor always has. Sometimes it works (the speech in Voyage of the Damned), and sometimes being a white male doesn’t help at all (Midnight).
The difference is that while the Doctor has encountered resistance for being a stranger, or for dressing oddly, she’s never encountered resistance for her gender before. I can certainly imagine some crusty medieval lord saying “Why should I take advice from a woman?” in the same tone that he would have said “from a man dressed like a clown?” And the Doctor’s natural response would be something like “Because I’m your best hope to come out of this alive” or something similarly Doctor-ish. I can also easily imagine the Doctor giving the standard “Of course you’re special; I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t” speech to a young woman in some rigid society. I think that’s how you acknowledge the problem, without making the show about sexism.
By the way, I love the new coat. But I’ve always loved the Doctor’s long coats. Not sure about the hood on it, but Twelve was pretty fond of hoods, so if Thirteen likes them too, that’s her call. The important point is that as far as I can tell, it has pockets, and that’s critical.
@32: I have to agree about the costume. I think it’s the rainbow band across her chest and the short pants that are over the top. The jacket and suspenders are not bad. the colors on the jacket lining are a nice touch. But why do her pants have to be that short? It’s an odd length that reminds me of 19th century swimming costumes.
We will see how often she has that exact get up on. Other press photos show a darker version. I did like the velvet coats of 12, so maybe we will see those on occasion.
I don’t see the problem with the rainbow stripe. I think it’s fairly understated, certainly by the Doctor’s fashion standards.
@41/Braid_Tug: That odd length is actually rather trendy right now.
Anyway, I like the costume, exactly because it’s colourful and quirky.
I am looking forward to the show being in new hands. Chibnall is an excellent writer and director, and Whittaker is a gifted actor. I am sure they will handle things well, and give us a fresh new approach to the character. Doctor Who survives because it knows how to change.
I am not terribly keen on the new outfit (it reminds me of Mork from Ork), but it may signal a lighter and more comedic touch to the character. That would be a welcome change, as the Doctor has become somewhat too serious and self-important in recent years.
@44/AlanBrown: On the other hand, Sylvester McCoy wore a whimsical costume, yet he ended up being probably the darkest and most morally gray of the classic Doctors.
@45: I believe the original intent was that the Seventh Doctor should be whimsical, hence casting a physical comedian, the goofy outfit (although not as bad as his predecessor), the malapropisms, the spoons, etc. When Cartmel took over the script editing, the stories got darker, and the Doctor’s outfit became darker too. Although they didn’t get to ditch the stupid question-mark pullover, as John Nathan-Turner was fixated on the idea of the Doctor having a “costume,” and on the question marks. The novels and audios dumped the pullover as the stories became even darker, but it’s sort of hard to tell that in print or audio. And of course it wasn’t in the 1996 movie.
@46/Brian: Yes, that’s all true, but that’s sort of my point — that how a Doctor appears at first doesn’t necessarily dictate what they’ll end up being throughout their tenure. Heck, look how much Twelve evolved over three seasons — from a guy so lacking in basic empathy that he needed flash cards to pretend he cared to a guy who sacrificed his life in the name of being kind. True, not a lot of earlier Doctors have evolved that much over their tenures — other than McCoy, I’d say Hartnell was the main one, going through a journey not unlike Capaldi’s — but it’s always a possibility.
@@@@@krad At ReGenerationWho in Baltimore a few months back, We also saw a male coplaying Jodie’s Doctor as well…known other than Colin Baker himself!
So questions about the nature of humanity and meaningful acceptance of radically different people may be explored without the show becoming “a total bummer,” but sexism may not? The idea that a femme-presenting, humanoid person may immediately assume authority in any situation without ever encountering sexism– or if so, only for the sake of lighthearted humor– is insulting. Worse than that, it implies that gender is a meaningless part of someone’s identity and that a person may be equally privileged in any situation regardless of how they express it.
@49, I think what we are all sayingtis we don’t want Doctor Who to become Outrage Porn. We got The Handmaid’s Tale for that.
The Doctor has always had to deal with being an outsider. Being male never helped much. If anything it made him more suspicious and threatening. I can see situations in which being an attractive female would actually help getting trust and cooperation
I completely agree with the gist of this article.
Sexism is being handled in many arenas, many of them finally are ultra-serious real life. These are important steps forward. An equally important step forward is showing men and women, boys and girls examples of strong female protagonists getting it done. “It” can be tackling sexism, but is that all strong women do?
I’d like to see more examples of strong women just being strong women. On the off chance that some little girl manages to go through life not experiencing life as a constant struggle based on her genitals, I don’t want to put in her head it was supposed to be.
The Doctor gets it done. The idea that a The Doctor can’t get it done just because he became a she does more damage than good.
What I would like to see is it addressed at least one time in a fairly subtle manner, especially if they interact with the military or UNIT. What I envision is, if The Doctor has a male companion, the officer in charge addresses the companion: “Ah, good! Doctor, we need your help,” and then has a moment of confusion when she responds.
I agree… to an extent. I think it’s unrealistic and also not a good idea to not address sexism at all. Like racism, it is a thing that exists and ignoring it will not help.
But I also agree with you that seeing a female Doctor consistently battled at every turn would be doing the opposite of addressing sexism.
So, I feel like they should address it really early–first episode, with the first man she meets–have her quash any idea that because she’s now female she isn’t exactly the same person she’s always been, and then never address it again.
#32 – Ooh, Miriam Margolyes as the Doctor! What an interesting idea! She’d be a no-nonsense Doctor, but kind to the companions. Josette Simon? She IS stunningly beautiful, even in middle age, so might not fit your preference for someone who isn’t . I do remember her fondly as Dayna, when she was only eighteen, and saw her with the RSC as Isabella in Measure For Measure. A lovely actor. And with experience in SF, if long ago,why not?
@@@@@#52…That would be funny. Would have to be a lower rank, though. Bambera, or either of the Lethbridge-Stewarts, would know the Doctor.
Remember in Pirate Planet how Tom Baker’s Doctor couldn’t get anyone to talk to him but a passerby was happy to chat with Romana? A strange woman, especially if she’s pretty is less threatening than a strange man. The companions frequently got a friendlier reception than the Doctor. 13 could find being a non threatening woman very useful rather than the reverse.
Woman or man, the important thing to remember is that the Doctor is not from Earth, an alien.