Peter Capaldi continues to show how awesome he is

[Mr. Adventure]

The fact that an actress is a woman is only one of her attributes. It's not the single, exclusive thing that defines her. Anyone who is cast as the Doctor is cast because they have qualities that make them ideal for the role. The same would be true of a female Doctor. Her sex would be one element under consideration, but most of the reason for casting her would be her personality, just as it is for a male Doctor.

I think realistically if there is a female Doctor it will be because they are specifically looking for one. I don't think casting would be like an open "Britain's Next Doctor" competition show or whatever and Susan Boyle ends up in the TARDIS.

If they could get someone like Tilda Swinton to play the Doctor and could write it well I would probably be happy. I just don't think they should feel a need to get a woman because of some sense of obligation and half-ass it because "the time has come".

This poor thread is never going to get back to Capaldi talking to the kids, is it? Sorry...

 

[Candlelight]

I really don't see the point. The character is a male. Why can't it be left it that? The last female "Time Lord" was sooooo f'ing boring...

If you want a female Time Lord make it a spin off series.

 

[Professor Zoom]

It took some ten years for both Tom Baker and Peter Davison to find steady wrok after leaving Doctor Who,

That's not true, at least for Davison. Looking at his IMDB page, he did a miniseries in 1985, and then started doing a Very Peculiar Practice in 1986, it looks like it went until 1988, and then he did Campion, and has continued to work since.

And that's just the TV, not including the stage.

it took five years for Tennant to find steady work as well for that matter.

Also seems to have been working steadily, on TV and the stage. Broadchurch was very successful AND will be getting an American version which he is supposed to be in.

Traditionally it's been rather difficult for an outgoing Doctor to find work Jon Pertwee got lucky with Worzel Grummage, but for the most part it's been hard for them to steady work.

Patrick Troughton seemed to do fine.

There doesn't seem to be much to this tradition. Have the roles that followed leading roles, like the Doctor? No. But, then, except for Davison, I wouldn't say many of the actors were leading men to begin with.

I really don't see the point. The character is a male.

No. The incarnations we have seen are male. A Time Lord can switch gender at regeneration. This has beens stated on the show. And, as we have seen with Romana, a Time Lord doesn't even have to look like a human.

 

[Starkers]

Oh yes, it would be oh-so-very noble and correct. I would want them to do it because it was an exciting idea, something someone was really interested about, not because "Well, why not? Change the wallpaper and what not.".

Here's the thing, though:

The fact that an actress is a woman is only one of her attributes. It's not the single, exclusive thing that defines her. Anyone who is cast as the Doctor is cast because they have qualities that make them ideal for the role. The same would be true of a female Doctor. Her sex would be one element under consideration, but most of the reason for casting her would be her personality, just as it is for a male Doctor.

You're talking about the question solely from the standpoint of whether the Doctor is male or female -- while those in favor of the idea are approaching it from the standpoint that that's the least important consideration, or at least that it's just one of many factors. There are great, charismatic actors out there of both sexes; why exclude 50 percent of them from consideration? Just imagine if there were a belief that only actors under 45 could play the Doctor -- we'd never have gotten Peter Capaldi. Or, conversely, if it were assumed that no one under 30 could play the Doctor, we'd never have gotten Matt Smith (and Peter Davison would only have squeaked through). Imposing arbitrary limits on who's allowed to audition for the role could rule out an ideal candidate.

Yeah I agree. My only caveat is that really I’d like someone to be cast as the Doctor because they’re the best person for the role, not because they tick a certain set of boxes. I championed Paterson Joseph for a long time, not because he’s black but because I thought he’d be a great Doctor. I think my other fear about a female Doctor is that TPTB might choose to hire someone based more on looks. However good an actress Lara Pulver is I don’t want to see her prancing around the Tardis in thigh high boots…actually I do but maybe just in my imagination.

No if they’re going to have a female Doctor then the same criteria needs to apply for me, they need to be British, or at least good enough at convincing us they’re British, they need to be a good actor and they need to have a certain quirky otherworldly aspect to them (or at least be a good enough actor to fake it). Olivia Colman, Tilda Swinton, Nicola Walker; Yes. Some babe from Hollyoakes;

 

[Captaindemotion]

Back on topic - Peter Capaldi is awesome.

Back off topic - I used to be against the idea of a female Doctor but now see no good reason why there can't be one.

 

[Starkers]

[

WE have no idea that females have been discounted on purpose.

It's true, I don't know for a fact that they haven't audition actresses. But... if I had to make a guess, they didn't for the first 45 years of the show at least.



?? Playing Doctor Who hurt their careers? How so?

but then it didn't really help Eccleston's career that much either. Playing the Doctor really hasn't helped out any of the actors who's played the Doctor.

1. They all continued to work. Davison probably the most broadly. So, I guess the question would be: what do you mean by help? They all work, probably Colin less so, they attend conventions, they record audios.

2. The show now is a much bigger thing than it was during the classic period. A much much bigger thing.

It took some ten years for both Tom Baker and Peter Davison to find steady wrok after leaving Doctor Who, it took five years for Tennant to find steady work as well for that matter. Traditionally it's been rather difficult for an outgoing Doctor to find work Jon Pertwee got lucky with Worzel Grummage, but for the most part it's been hard for them to steady work.

I don't understand what you mean by 'steady work'? Davison was starring in A Very Perculiar Practice just two years after he left Who, and has worked consistantly in film/TV and theatre, and yes Tennant's US pilot failed, but he has, again, been working consistantly since he left Who in film/TV and on the stage.

You point to Tom but, let's be honest here, A/he's not actually that great an actor (What Moffat drunkenly said all those years ago does have more than a grain of truth to it). B/ I imagine his ego put a lot of casting agents off and C/ he probably did stay in the role way too long.

I think you also have to factor in what someone's career would have been like without Who, it isn't like Hollywood were clamoring for David and Matt to be the next Brad Pitt, both were predominantly TV actors, and not that well known TV actors either.

 

[Starkers]

Back on topic - Peter Capaldi is awesome.

Back off topic - I used to be against the idea of a female Doctor but now see no good reason why there can't be one.

Re your first point, yes.

Re your second point I think that sums up my feelings too.

 

[intrinsical]

We've had The Doctor mention an old timelord he knew who had both male and female reincarnations. If rumors are correct, we will soon have a significant timelord have a gender change in series 8. I'ld say Moffat is setting the stage, preparing the general audience, getting them used to the idea that The Doctor can have a female reincarnation.

 

[DWF]

We've had The Doctor mention an old timelord he knew who had both male and female reincarnations. If rumors are correct, we will soon have a significant timelord have a gender change in series 8. I'ld say Moffat is setting the stage, preparing the general audience, getting them used to the idea that The Doctor can have a female reincarnation.

There's talk of Moffat leaving after season nine, so there's no proof at all taht he'd be around to cast the next Doctor.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

We've had The Doctor mention an old timelord he knew who had both male and female reincarnations. If rumors are correct, we will soon have a significant timelord have a gender change in series 8. I'ld say Moffat is setting the stage, preparing the general audience, getting them used to the idea that The Doctor can have a female reincarnation.

There's talk of Moffat leaving after season nine, so there's no proof at all taht he'd be around to cast the next Doctor.

No reason why he can't be doing all of what intrinsical suggested for the next person in charge. Just as an option.

 

[DWF]

We've had The Doctor mention an old timelord he knew who had both male and female reincarnations. If rumors are correct, we will soon have a significant timelord have a gender change in series 8. I'ld say Moffat is setting the stage, preparing the general audience, getting them used to the idea that The Doctor can have a female reincarnation.

There's talk of Moffat leaving after season nine, so there's no proof at all taht he'd be around to cast the next Doctor.

No reason why he can't be doing all of what intrinsical suggested for the next person in charge. Just as an option.

The idea of a female Doctor was first mentioned by Tom Baker in the press conference confirming his departure and it still hasn't happened yet. If it happens fine, but there's no official word from Moffat that he's willing to make that decision in the future. And whomever replaces Moffat has no reason to follow up on anything Moffat had set up or seemed to set up.

 

[Christopher]

I really don't see the point. The character is a male. Why can't it be left it that? The last female "Time Lord" was sooooo f'ing boring...

So just because one Time Lord who happened to be female was unsatisfying for you, you thus assume that every other female, regardless of her other attributes, would be just the same? Wow, you really don't get it, do you?

Yeah I agree. My only caveat is that really I’d like someone to be cast as the Doctor because they’re the best person for the role, not because they tick a certain set of boxes. I championed Paterson Joseph for a long time, not because he’s black but because I thought he’d be a great Doctor.

Exactly. If the casting were truly based on merit alone and not irrelevant considerations, then we'd automatically get female and nonwhite Doctors, simply because not every gifted and charismatic actor is white and male. It's not about tokenism, it's about opening the door to every suitable candidate.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

I have to admit that I have preferred the idea of the Doctor continuing to stick with male incarnations. Even though we have seen evidence onscreen that Time Lords can change gender, I think of the Doctor character as intrinsically being 'male'. BUT I am beginning to shift my feelings such that -as many have said- what makes the Doctor is not the gender of the character. It is the sense of adventure, curiosity, and the desire to step in and help others that are the core qualities of the Doctor. If/when we actually get a female incarnation, however, it will still take some getting used to for me.

Would this development open the doors to other possibilities, though? If the Doctor should not be restricted to being a male (played by a male actor), why shouldn't the Doctor also be allowed to be played by a Russian actress (with proper Russian accent!) who is very concerned with constantly protecting Moscow, rather than a character that -as Amy Farrah Fowler puts it- "sure does have a thing for modern-day London".

As an American, I truly enjoy Doctor Who as a little visit to British culture and history. Personally, I would be VERY disappointed if that aspect were ever to be lost (I particularly do not ever want to see an "American" Doctor!). But using the logic offered for allowing a female Doctor, I can not see how 'keeping the show British' can be defended.

 

[RoJoHen]

It could be something as simple (or as simple as this gets for Time Lords) as a Punnett Square.

Some Time Lords have two Male genes and will always be male throughout every regeneration. Some Times Ladies have two female genes and will always be female throughout every generation. And some Time Lords have one Male and one Female gene, and depending on the randomness of regeneration, they can turn into either gender.

 

[Christopher]

I have to admit that I have preferred the idea of the Doctor continuing to stick with male incarnations. Even though we have seen evidence onscreen that Time Lords can change gender, I think of the Doctor character as intrinsically being 'male'. BUT I am beginning to shift my feelings such that -as many have said- what makes the Doctor is not the gender of the character. It is the sense of adventure, curiosity, and the desire to step in and help others that are the core qualities of the Doctor. If/when we actually get a female incarnation, however, it will still take some getting used to for me.

In the past, I wanted a female Doctor but was skeptical that a Time Lord could change sex since we'd never seen it. So I had an idea that when the 13th Doctor was in his final season, he'd get a Time Lady companion, perhaps a new incarnation of Susan or Romana, and when he died he'd pass the TARDIS key to her and say "You are the Doctor now," and then we'd have 13 consecutive female Doctors.

But now "The Doctor's Wife" has confirmed that Time Lords can change sex, and of course the Doctor's gained a new life cycle, so my idea is neither viable nor necessary any longer.

But using the logic offered for allowing a female Doctor, I can not see how 'keeping the show British' can be defended.

Quite easily: Because the British already include women.

And they're not analogous at all. The Doctor, as a character, is male (to date), but he is not actually British. It's the series that's a British institution -- an institution that's included plenty of female characters and has had several female producers, including its very first producer. So it's never been defined by "maleness" in the same way it's been defined by Britishness. It's just had a male lead character up to now. Although it can be (and has been) argued that in the revival series, it's really the companions who are the lead characters. Which means it's already a female-led show anyway.

 

[tomalak301]

Why does there need to be a female doctor? I don't get why people seem to want one.

I want one because two of my favorite shows right now have females in the lead role and I want to see more shows where woman are in the prominent role. Why should the Doctor always be a man?

 

[DWF]

You can how effective a female Doctor can be with The Sarah Jane Adventures, she was very much a prototype for such a change, she had a rotating list of companions and she saved the planet many times over, she even had her own version of the sonic screwdriver.

 

[Professor Zoom]

You can how effective a female Doctor can be with The Sarah Jane Adventures, she was very much a prototype for such a change, she had a rotating list of companions and she saved the planet many times over, she even had her own version of the sonic screwdriver.

You mean the sonic lipstick? :roll eyes:

She might have well had a TARDIS that was a purse.

When they have a woman playing the Doctor, they had better keep the fucking screwdriver. Women can use tools as well, they don't have to just use sci fi make up equivalents.

 

[DWF]

You can how effective a female Doctor can be with The Sarah Jane Adventures, she was very much a prototype for such a change, she had a rotating list of companions and she saved the planet many times over, she even had her own version of the sonic screwdriver.

You mean the sonic lipstick? :roll eyes:

She might have well had a TARDIS that was a purse.

When they have a woman playing the Doctor, they had better keep the fucking screwdriver. Women can use tools as well, they don't have to just use sci fi make up equivalents.

I'd jsut as soon have the sonic screwdriver skip a regeneration, it's been well overused for a while now, it needs a rest.

 

[Nerys Myk]

You can how effective a female Doctor can be with The Sarah Jane Adventures, she was very much a prototype for such a change, she had a rotating list of companions and she saved the planet many times over, she even had her own version of the sonic screwdriver.

You mean the sonic lipstick? :roll eyes:

She might have well had a TARDIS that was a purse.

When they have a woman playing the Doctor, they had better keep the fucking screwdriver. Women can use tools as well, they don't have to just use sci fi make up equivalents.

Future Amy called her's a Sonic Probe.