New Doctor

[JOE SOAP]

As for the idea of not raging against this - I'm afraid Chibnall's statement that he only ever intended to cast a woman, rather than the most suitable person of any gender

Decades of multiple males playing the role every few years proves there are always going to be plenty of contemporary options for suitability each time renewal comes around. Having in mind to choose a woman this particular time doesn't even seem radical.

[SIP]

Thankfully I'm not bothered by Doctor Who anymore, as I think the "new" series (that's everything since Sylvester McCoy to me) is just completely horrible.

If I did care, I would be thinking this is a bad  idea that will likely alienate a huge chunk of its audience. I think it's desperately sad that the BBC couldn't just come up with a family orientated sci fi/adventure program with a strong female lead rather than feeling the need to turn a male character into a female character. It isn't progressive, it's just lazy.

Anyway, thankfully I really don't care as I think it's rubbish anyway. Hope it delivers for those who do.




Ps. Tom Baker is Dr Who, everyone else is just background noise.

[Greg M.]

Having in mind to choose a woman this particular time doesn't even seem radical.

Whether it's a decision you support or not, surely choosing to cast a woman in a role that's never been played by one is undoubtedly radical?

[Theblazeuk]

I dunno, I don't think lads nowadays are as fussy as my generation, just as my generation was less fussy on those scores than the previous one. I saw plenty of boys around this neck of the woods dead excited about Nu Ghostbusters.

The idea that its ever a case of casting the most suitable person of any gender for Doctor Who is rubbish of course. Each Doctor is a completely different set of characteristics for a start. When they chose Matt Smith and David Tennant, they were going for 'younger'. When they chose Capaldi they were going for 'older'. They chose the best actress when they were going for 'female'. But more than this, if it was ever a case of simply choosing the most suitable actor for the role previous to this, then surely there's absolutely no controversy in the choice of a woman for the role? If gender has always been so beside the point.

Here's to the next Doctor, may she have some good episodes and some weird bad guys so that I actually watch the damn thing. And here's to the next.

[JOE SOAP]

Whether it's a decision you support or not, surely choosing to cast a woman in a role that's never been played by one is undoubtedly radical?

The feeling I have is 'why did it take so long for it to happen to a character who can change its physiology so frequently?'

It's radical with a small r.

[Greg M.]

It's radical with a small r.

To a fan audience, sure. But I'd argue that Dr. Who's rather unique status in British culture raises the size of that 'r'.

[Goaty]

Woman with super intelligence. Won't get well in BBC America with Trump supporters

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I really want it to work. Doctor Who is like 2000ad to me; it was there with me as a child and I have stuck with it through thick and thin.

I just fear it's a toss of a coin as the producers cannot think of good stories any more, and are focussed on gimmick. And I worry it'll back-fire, causing something I cherish to curl up and die.

[ABCwarBOT]

Thankfully I'm not bothered by Doctor Who anymore, as I think the "new" series (that's everything since Sylvester McCoy to me) is just completely horrible.

If I did care, I would be thinking this is a bad  idea that will likely alienate a huge chunk of its audience. I think it's desperately sad that the BBC couldn't just come up with a family orientated sci fi/adventure program with a strong female lead rather than feeling the need to turn a male character into a female character. It isn't progressive, it's just lazy.

Anyway, thankfully I really don't care as I think it's rubbish anyway. Hope it delivers for those who do.




Ps. Tom Baker is Dr Who, everyone else is just background noise.

Totally agree.   I've never been much of a Nu Who fan anyway but this is the final nail in the coffin for me.

[Goaty]

[Andy Lambert]

Sure, wouldn't really be an issue if any of those characters were also shape-shifting aliens...

[Andy Lambert]

Aaaaand, I just got the context of your post, Goaty - sorry! lol

[Greg M.]

The argument doesn't work, because these are different characters, not the same character. The launching of a River Song or Romana or parallel universe female Doctor series wouldn't bother anyone.

[The Legendary Shark]

Didn't Marvel turn Thor into a woman? Don't know if that worked or not and I don't know if this will work or not, either. If it doesn't work I don't think it'll be because of this casting alone but a combination of factors/failures. Turning the Master into the Mistress worked (for me at least and from what little I've seen) and so I'm not really worried about a female Doctor. She cannot, after all, be worse than Sylvester bloody McCoy and has every chance to be as good as Pertwee.

Go girl!

[Jimmy Baker's Assistant]

What seems to have happened with Ghostbusters 3 (which is a good movie, btw) is that it alienated a percentage of it's core audience by gender-switching the lead characters, but that there wasn't a new audience to replace them.

I think Greg's right, some of the Doctor Who audience won't be able to cope with this change, and will drift away. The survival of the show now depends on it being able to find a fresh set of viewers to replace them.