Who should become the next Doctor after Whittaker?

[starsuperion]

For those wrapped up in their own preconcieved notions..

Prejudice is a “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.” ... One can have a preference without prejudice, but not prejudice without a preference. In your first statement you say you have a greater liking; in the second statement you say you have a preconceived opinion not based on reason.

It is not Prejudice to have a "PREFERENCE" when it comes to Female or Male portrayals of a Character. Should you choose to want only a Male to play the Doctor, that does not mean you are Prejudice or Sexist. Likewise, it is not SEXIST to only want a Woman to play the Part of Mary Poppins, even if there is talk of a Male playing the role as Mery Poppins. It is simply a Preference, you have a greater liking of a Male to play that role, and is not built on a Fear of Women, or some deep dark internalized man-hatred that needs to be rooted out by sensitivity training, or psycho-manipulation. A simple Preference one way or the other is not something anyone can quantify by a simple derrogatory label.

What was once a TV series which led to discussion on the impact of Science and Technology on the future of Mankind, and stories about dystopian realities that strive to get back to humanity has now devolved the community and fandom into a sad political back and forth and an exercise in gender studies, which to be honest is why I'm done with the show. It's convoluted, subjective to the participant, and really truly divisive and Quite stupid actually.

 

[worf1965]

Starsuperior, while I agree with much of what you say, I also think that a central part of shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek is to address difficult political and social issues. It should not be the dominant theme all the time but it's definitely part of why I am of both shows. Introducing female characters in leading roles is a natural part of that. Arguing that a character who is an alien from another planet should never be female seems disingenuous to me. Similarly, wishing all future incarnations of that character to be female is equally disingenuous. Why can't we just accept the new Doctor and hudge her on her merits. If one believes she sucks then one should honestly say so without fear of being labeled sexist.

That said I did not enjoy Capaldi as much as previous incarnations, as I think the show has focused too much on such issues lately. I don't want tge show to ignore those issues but let's mix it up some more.

However, I do get tired of people always yelling "leftist" agenda. I think these shifts were inevitable to reflect reality. If somebody doesn't want to accept reality that's their choice. But it's not an intelligent choice.

 

[starsuperion]

Starsuperior, while I agree with much of what you say, I also think that a central part of shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek is to address difficult political and social issues. It should not be the dominant theme all the time but it's definitely part of why I am of both shows. Introducing female characters in leading roles is a natural part of that. Arguing that a character who is an alien from another planet should never be female seems disingenuous to me. Similarly, wishing all future incarnations of that character to be female is equally disingenuous. Why can't we just accept the new Doctor and hudge her on her merits. If one believes she sucks then one should honestly say so without fear of being labeled sexist.

That said I did not enjoy Capaldi as much as previous incarnations, as I think the show has focused too much on such issues lately. I don't want tge show to ignore those issues but let's mix it up some more.

However, I do get tired of people always yelling "leftist" agenda. I think these shifts were inevitable to reflect reality. If somebody doesn't want to accept reality that's their choice. But it's not an intelligent choice.

Well said. Let me be clear tho. I don't think social issues are to be rooted out either, there is a place for social commentary in TV series, it can be helpful. Pushing one point of view tho is not, and strikes the viewer as being a bit totalitarian and trying to shape a person's sensibilities to what the writer and the producer determine is correct and intelligent choices is to not only play a role in offending that person, by telling them their way of thinking is old, outdated and evil.. when that shouldn't be the focus of the social commentary. I would much rather watch a scenario play out in a moral dilemma and make up my own mind if the right choice was taken or not, then to be preached to over and over again by the writer on why his Moral values are superior simply because he/she wrote the piece to adhere to some new Norm that is sanctioned by the PC Brigade at the BBC. That's not fun, it's not entertainment, it's more akin to social engineering and propaganda, which seems to be more prevelant then ever before and totalitarian if you are in the "resistance". I for one could care less about a female lead over a male lead. I am simply saying if you have a preference, and you let it be known, the knee jerks are all about labeling you some dirty sexist pig, rather then taking the attitude that maybe there is another reason behind that preference and just accepting it. Instead these self appointed moral arbiturs of truth tend to want to drill down and put you under a social diversity microscope and prod you with question after question about your reasoning all along waiting for that one statement that can confirm their preconcieved assesment and call you out as a sexist, never mind any of the ideas that were espoused outside of that factor, or the simple concept that preference is just what it is.. a choice to like something over another thing.. sometimes it isn't as complex, nor does a person's choice need to be more then just simply liking something over another. I agree Star Trek, and Doctor Who both interweave social commentary into their storylines, but in the way it was presented in the last 2 seasons it felt fake, shoe horned, and forced to the point of becoming annoying and very off putting. Make the show for everyone, that's what we keep hearing.. but they don't as evidenced by their dialogue. Trump Bashing is not something I really want to see happen again, nor do I need to be reminded in every episode that Bill is a Lesbian. I think if Bill had been presented as an exceptional person who just happened to be a lesbian, and then the stories kinda moved on from there without the physical reminders in dialogue format, it would have looked less like pandering, and more like the actual representation people are hoping for and the BBC espouses as their stated policy goal.

I never felt the Doctor couldn't be a female.. It could happen. It's gonna come down to the way this new Doctor is presented. Will this be the definitive feminist SJW program, or will it be a show that has another Doctor, who just happened to regenerate female? Time will tell. But I firmly believe the show is on a teeter and the way it is presented will determine if this era in Who is going to succeed or fail based on the execution of the writing and stories, and not on the gender. If we see pandering, it will become toxic again, much like the announcement.

Like I've always felt, a Female Doctor would be good if done without the divisive preachiness and diatribe in the storyline. If it is meant to be an activist type pandering Virtue signaling show, then it will most likely die the death that CLASS did.. And yes, that was part of Class' problem to ignore that fact is live in blissful ignorance.

 

[Professor Zoom]

For those wrapped up in their own preconcieved notions..

Prejudice is a “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.” ... One can have a preference without prejudice, but not prejudice without a preference. In your first statement you say you have a greater liking; in the second statement you say you have a preconceived opinion not based on reason.

It is not Prejudice to have a "PREFERENCE" when it comes to Female or Male portrayals of a Character. Should you choose to want only a Male to play the Doctor, that does not mean you are Prejudice or Sexist. Likewise, it is not SEXIST to only want a Woman to play the Part of Mary Poppins, even if there is talk of a Male playing the role as Mery Poppins. It is simply a Preference, you have a greater liking of a Male to play that role, and is not built on a Fear of Women, or some deep dark internalized man-hatred that needs to be rooted out by sensitivity training, or psycho-manipulation. A simple Preference one way or the other is not something anyone can quantify by a simple derrogatory label.

Just imagine if someone said: "I'm a long time Doctor Who fan, Pertwee and Tom Baker were my Doctors, but, I'm sorry, I have a preference. Young and Blonde, that's not the Doctor. The Doctor has NEVER been young and blonde. It's ridiculous. I will never watch Peter Davison!" I would imagine you would say what I do to my child who doesn't want to eat a new food: try it.

In this very thread someone has already said they won't watch because the Doctor is being played by a woman. YOU have said in other threads you won't watch because the Doctor is being played by a woman.

It's also telling that you say you have a preference on how you want the Doctor to be played. How do you know? Have you EVER seen the Doctor played by a woman? Or are you operating under pre-concieved notions on HOW she will be portrayed?

 

[mos6507]

See now, I'm more skeptical. with the nature of how things are going and how polarized everyday politics is in both the UK and USA, it would seem to me that the trend to "pander" will continue. This is a problem Marvel comics the books are dealing with right now. They are struggling to find a relevance in a culture increasingly only interested in Video Game storylines with interactive play or movies over reading and imaginative cognoscen

This.

I wrote in a separate thread that a growing number of people don't really look beyond the quick sense of validation that comes from their identity group being cast. It's kind of a tokenism, a simple score-keeping, sort of like the superficiality of all the pop-culture flashes in Ready Player One as empty-feel-good-calories for Generation X. It really doesn't mean as much as the angry bloggers think it means. It certainly doesn't substitute for the intrinsic quality or artfulness in the work, that's for sure. But the 'entertainment' to be gleaned seems to have been diverted from the work itself to the meta-discussions (or should I say, flamewars) that sprout up around it.

 

[starsuperion]

Just imagine if someone said: "I'm a long time Doctor Who fan, Pertwee and Tom Baker were my Doctors, but, I'm sorry, I have a preference. Young and Blonde, that's not the Doctor. The Doctor has NEVER been young and blonde. It's ridiculous. I will never watch Peter Davison!" I would imagine you would say what I do to my child who doesn't want to eat a new food: try it.

In this very thread someone has already said they won't watch because the Doctor is being played by a woman. YOU have said in other threads you won't watch because the Doctor is being played by a woman.

It's also telling that you say you have a preference on how you want the Doctor to be played. How do you know? Have you EVER seen the Doctor played by a woman? Or are you operating under pre-concieved notions on HOW she will be portrayed?

Well no.. I don't care what someone else wants or thinks about their preference. It's not my place to tell someone they are wrong for not wanting a Female Doctor. And yes, in other threads I said No as well, but my reasoning wasn't because the Doctor was Female.. IT was the Decision behind that choice and ideological agenda that is my reasoning.. Not the Gender by itself. the Gender by itself isn't the issue, it's the propaganda behind it then casting it, then lying about the casting, then later the truth finally gets revealed that Chibnall Always wanting a female lead that really got my Hackles up.. It's like no body remembers the initial Denials, and then when the truth is known, it was like oh, so the right actor/actress wasn't the factor for the job. Had a male audition been done, there was already a bias to cast a female.. So I know it's all about the Gender for some people. defenders and detractors alike.. but for me, it was always about the Agenda.. and I hate shady Shite like that..

 

[jaime]

Just imagine if someone said: "I'm a long time Doctor Who fan, Pertwee and Tom Baker were my Doctors, but, I'm sorry, I have a preference. Young and Blonde, that's not the Doctor. The Doctor has NEVER been young and blonde. It's ridiculous. I will never watch Peter Davison!" I would imagine you would say what I do to my child who doesn't want to eat a new food: try it.

In this very thread someone has already said they won't watch because the Doctor is being played by a woman. YOU have said in other threads you won't watch because the Doctor is being played by a woman.

It's also telling that you say you have a preference on how you want the Doctor to be played. How do you know? Have you EVER seen the Doctor played by a woman? Or are you operating under pre-concieved notions on HOW she will be portrayed?

Jodie is not the first female portrayal of the Doctor.
She’s not even the second.
From a certain point of view, she is not the third either.
I hope she’s good, excellent even, because something pretty much unique was taken away...a male role model for children who may have very few, or even none; that eschews violence and might, that seeks fairness and empathy. So at that cost, I am hoping she is the most amazing Doctor ever. That’s down to the incoming team though, or the whole exercise will have been for nought.

Edit: oh, and people did say that about Davison. Much like they did for Matt Smith. You know you are getting old when the Time ?Lords start looking younger than you.
It’s very telling that you think it’s very telling tbh.
I love female lead characters, I love female lead characters in Doctor Who, as someone who quite loved Bonekickers I can even verify I love silly Doctorish characters, male or female in other programs.
I think the gender switch was either a mistake or needs just a little more time in the oven (I would consider introducing it into lore that gender fluidity comes with the second set of regenerations, I have a feeling that sort of smooths a little of the culture shock over. They can still do that.) but I am willing to see how it goes. Any argument that it ‘needed to be done’ would only carry weight for me if it could do so without the political angle, as has been said by others and I would happily entertain those arguments, find them interesting, one could change my mind very easily. But the argument that we should ‘take from one to give to another’ is very quickly going to go the way that almost always goes I fear...no one will have any.
Let’s hope not eh? Proving anyone who is genuinely prejudiced wrong would be a great thing, having Doctor Who carry on and be amazing would be a great thing, and who doesn’t like great things?

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Jodie is not the first female portrayal of the Doctor.
She’s not even the second.
From a certain point of view, she is not the third either.
I hope she’s good, excellent even, because something pretty much unique was taken away...a male role model for children who may have very few, or even none; that eschews violence and might, that seeks fairness and empathy. So at that cost, I am hoping she is the most amazing Doctor ever. That’s down to the incoming team though, or the whole exercise will have been for nought.

Jodie will be as much a role model for the boys as any other Doctor was for the girls.
Why shouldn‘t they have one?

 

[Professor Zoom]

T was the Decision behind that choice and ideological agenda that is my reasoning.. Not the Gender by itself. the Gender by itself isn't the issue,

Really?
Because in the other thread you said she couldn't do the job because she was a woman.
In THIS thread, you keep saying you have a preference for a male Doctor.

So, which is it? It's Not the Gender, It's the Propaganda or I Have A Preference For A Male Doctor?

Jodie will be as much a role model for the boys as any other Doctor was for the girls.
Why shouldn‘t they have one?

Exactly. Why can't boys look up to women as role models? I would think, given how often I see women cosplaying as the Doctor, they have looked up to him/her as a role model...

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

The answer, of course, is that many men feel diminished in their masculinity if they‘re asked to look up to a woman.

 

[jaime]

Jodie will be as much a role model for the boys as any other Doctor was for the girls.
Why shouldn‘t they have one?

A male Doctor would be as much a role model for the girls as any other Doctor was for the boys. Why should they change it?
You are boiling it down to a ‘have’ scenario...so OK...why not create a brand spanking new female SF&F character and somehow build her up to be the female equivalent to the Doctor or Doctor Who? Why not get behind River Song, or Clara, get a spin off going? Oh I forgot, some people, male or female, seemed to have odd problems with those characters being as smart as the Doctor, or too similar etc (oddly, it’s my experience that more Women disliked those characters than men, but I haven’t exactly conducted a survey.)
At the very least, since the Doctor is no longer a male role model for boys, (since remember, representation matters.) can we get one that’s just as good now this one isn’t there any more? Boys in the modern era are crying out for good role models, especially the ones who don’t have fathers in their life...there are more of those than ever, for whatever reason, so maybe, just maybe, we actually needed this one. There is after all, pretty much only the one. The same reason I dislike it when Who skews too adult...it’s taking something away from those who could really do with it.
Now, I stand by to be wowed by Jodie, I really do. I stand by to be proven wrong. But as it stands, I do not think this was perhaps a good idea. It’s a shame so many people can’t get behind the female leads in Who enough that it doesn’t matter they aren’t the Doctor, or that people can’t generate enough empathy to be able to identify with a character unless it shares some predetermined set of traits with them, goodness knows how we ever let Harry Potter get so popular with everyone with having him swigging from a polyjuice hip flask every five minutes to make sure we all got covered, but turning the whole thing into some polarising fight with claims to the moral high ground is ridiculous. We shouldn’t be gender flipping Who, we should be getting behind new programs with female leads and cats to exist alongside it. If it’s all about supporting female led shows, why the hell dis Dark Matter get cancelled? Why is t Killjoys up to its ears in effusive praise? Where’s the Clara & Me spin off?
Anyway, I hope it works, I hope it does well...I did t think I would like McGann or Smith, and they are some of my favourites, so we will see. It’s one heck of a dice roll though. And yes, I feel a little sad that my role model growing up is now someone little boys like I was can possibly no longer look to in that way. Unless as you say, it doesn’t matter, role model just the same, in which case...what was the argument for changing it again? Hmm?

 

[jaime]

The answer, of course, is that many men feel diminished in their masculinity if they‘re asked to look up to a woman.

Nonsense. It’s just a bit of a sod copying mannerisms when you’re seven years old and dont look remotely like your role model.
I spent a few years wearing a bomber jacket with Ace in the back though, so what would I know?
It’s that kind of sneering assumption that makes the whole thing look ridiculous. Did female fans feel their femininity was endangered if they wanted to be like the Doctor? Is that why it’s changing?
There are plenty of reasons to ha e an opinion that don’t rely on hate, or superiority, or inferiority, or anger or rage. But it’s easier to argue with them if first you cast them as wrong, or bad, or somehow other and deficient. That way you aren’t arguing with real people anymore, just dig,ents who aren’t allowed to disagree and possibly be correct in their reasons for holding their opinion.
Me...like I said, I want it to be good, happy to be proved wrong. Her costume is terrible though.

 

[starsuperion]

Jodie will be as much a role model for the boys as any other Doctor was for the girls.
Why shouldn‘t they have one?

I thought they did..
1. Susan
Right from the show's very beginning, there was a Time Lady present: the Doctor's granddaughter.
2. Rodan
After Susan a female Gallifreyan wasn't seen until 1978's 'The Invasion of Time', featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor with Louise Jameson's brilliant Leela and K-9 in tow. During an invasion by the Vardans and then Sontarans, technician Rodan proved to be useful with her knowledge of Quasitronics.
3. Romana
And just the following year we would meet perhaps the most impressive Time Lady there's ever been, Romanadvoratrelundar.

Though she was happy to be called Fred, and why not, the Doctor (Baker again) choose to use Romana. She was foisted on the Time Lord by the White Guardian in a bid to track down the various pieces of The Key To Time.

Initially played by Mary Tamm, the actress decided to leave the show and, fittingly for a Gallifreyan, she regenerated at the start of the following season – into actress Lalla Ward (who had, somewhat confusingly, made her Doctor Who debut in the previous story as a different character).

Romana remained with the Fourth Doctor almost up until his final story, becoming one of the show's most memorable and loved companions.

4 & 5. Thalia and Flavia
Arc of Infinity' (1983) saw a return for Doctor Who legend Omega – but it also introduced us to a new Time Lady. Thalia, played by Elspet Gray, was Lord Chancellor in the High Council of Time Lords and was due to return later that year in the aforementioned 'The Five Doctors'.
But, Gray wasn't available, so a new and somewhat similar-sounding character Flavia was created. She had the position of 'High Chancellor' (is that better than 'Lord Chancellor'?) and was then bestowed the dubious honour of acting President of the High Council of Time Lords. Mainly because Peter Davison's Doctor didn't want the hassle.

6. Before Missy, there was the Rani!
Just as The Master was the bad boy of Gallifrey, the Rani was his female counterpart. Actress Kate O'Mara made two very memorable appearances in two not-very-good stories, 'The Mark of the Rani' (1985) and 'Time and the Rani' (1987). The latter saw her dress up as Bonnie Langford in a bid to confuse the newly-regenerated Sylvester McCoy.

Rani fans can also take joy in the 1993 Children In Need special, 'Dimensions In Time'.

7. The Inquisitor
Presiding over the Doctor's titular trial in the season-long 'The Trial of a Time Lord', The Inquisitor did not take kindly to Colin Baker's Doctor's antics. Played with arch precision by the much-missed Lynda Bellingham.

8. Jenny
The controversially-titled 'The Doctor's Daughter' (2008) introduced us to the Tenth Doctor's offspring, created by a machine that sampled his DNA. Although she was killed sacrificing herself for her 'dad', played by David Tennant, the end of the ep showed us Jenny using regenerative powers to come back to life.

She's still out there somewhere and Big Finish have a whole series of audio dramas of the Doctor's Daughter's adventures

Those are just a few Female Representations in the show that could have been used in the new series. It almost strikes me as comical that the BBC didn't feel a Female led Time Lord show could survive on it's own like what happened with CLASS.. so instead of taking the chance, building a new following, It sure seems like they had a lack of faith in a female lead, so the decision was made to take from the already well established series and do it there.. So much for faith in female lead shows by the BBC..

 

[Professor Zoom]

I thought they did..
1. Susan
Right from the show's very beginning, there was a Time Lady present: the Doctor's granddaughter.
2. Rodan
After Susan a female Gallifreyan wasn't seen until 1978's 'The Invasion of Time', featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor with Louise Jameson's brilliant Leela and K-9 in tow. During an invasion by the Vardans and then Sontarans, technician Rodan proved to be useful with her knowledge of Quasitronics.
3. Romana
And just the following year we would meet perhaps the most impressive Time Lady there's ever been, Romanadvoratrelundar.

Though she was happy to be called Fred, and why not, the Doctor (Baker again) choose to use Romana. She was foisted on the Time Lord by the White Guardian in a bid to track down the various pieces of The Key To Time.

Initially played by Mary Tamm, the actress decided to leave the show and, fittingly for a Gallifreyan, she regenerated at the start of the following season – into actress Lalla Ward (who had, somewhat confusingly, made her Doctor Who debut in the previous story as a different character).

Romana remained with the Fourth Doctor almost up until his final story, becoming one of the show's most memorable and loved companions.

4 & 5. Thalia and Flavia
Arc of Infinity' (1983) saw a return for Doctor Who legend Omega – but it also introduced us to a new Time Lady. Thalia, played by Elspet Gray, was Lord Chancellor in the High Council of Time Lords and was due to return later that year in the aforementioned 'The Five Doctors'.
But, Gray wasn't available, so a new and somewhat similar-sounding character Flavia was created. She had the position of 'High Chancellor' (is that better than 'Lord Chancellor'?) and was then bestowed the dubious honour of acting President of the High Council of Time Lords. Mainly because Peter Davison's Doctor didn't want the hassle.

6. Before Missy, there was the Rani!
Just as The Master was the bad boy of Gallifrey, the Rani was his female counterpart. Actress Kate O'Mara made two very memorable appearances in two not-very-good stories, 'The Mark of the Rani' (1985) and 'Time and the Rani' (1987). The latter saw her dress up as Bonnie Langford in a bid to confuse the newly-regenerated Sylvester McCoy.

Rani fans can also take joy in the 1993 Children In Need special, 'Dimensions In Time'.

7. The Inquisitor
Presiding over the Doctor's titular trial in the season-long 'The Trial of a Time Lord', The Inquisitor did not take kindly to Colin Baker's Doctor's antics. Played with arch precision by the much-missed Lynda Bellingham.

8. Jenny
The controversially-titled 'The Doctor's Daughter' (2008) introduced us to the Tenth Doctor's offspring, created by a machine that sampled his DNA. Although she was killed sacrificing herself for her 'dad', played by David Tennant, the end of the ep showed us Jenny using regenerative powers to come back to life.

She's still out there somewhere and Big Finish have a whole series of audio dramas of the Doctor's Daughter's adventures

Those are just a few Female Representations in the show that could have been used in the new series. It almost strikes me as comical that the BBC didn't feel a Female led Time Lord show could survive on it's own like what happened with CLASS.. so instead of taking the chance, building a new following, It sure seems like they had a lack of faith in a female lead, so the decision was made to take from the already well established series and do it there.. So much for faith in female lead shows by the BBC..

“Come on, ladies, why can’t you just be happy with the sidekicks?”

 

[starsuperion]

“Come on, ladies, why can’t you just be happy with the sidekicks?”

Ahem, or rather "Come on, BBC, Why don't you have faith in a female lead in a new show for an already established female Time Lord character?"

 

[Professor Zoom]

Ahem, or rather "Come on, BBC, Why don't you have faith in a female lead in a new show for an already established female Time Lord character?"

I’m still confused if your problem with the casting is the gender or the “propaganda”... The way you go on it sounds like it’s the gender...

 

[starsuperion]

I’m still confused if your problem with the casting is the gender or the “propaganda”... The way you go on it sounds like it’s the gender...

I'm sure you want that to be true more than anything..sorry it's not.. But nice try.

 

[starsuperion]

Back on topic tho. Whomever is chosen as the next, next Doctor. I would love to see a new setting.. Like The Doctor Stranded instead of on Earth like Pertwee, how about the Doctor Stranded on a Space colony for a bit.. solving crimes or alien stuff with the human U.N.I.T. like organization..

 

[Professor Zoom]

At the very least, since the Doctor is no longer a male role model for boys, (since remember, representation matters.)

Why not?

can we get one that’s just as good now this one isn’t there any more? Boys in the modern era are crying out for good role models, especially the ones who don’t have fathers in their life..

Again, why is the Doctor no longer a role model for boys?
And the way you write, it sounds like the Doctor is the ONLY role model for boys out there...

I guess we're just gonna have to share the Doctor with women for a bit... let's see... we had him for 50 years, only seems fair women get The Doctor for the next 50...

I'm sure you want that to be true more than anything..sorry it's not.. But nice try.

I would just like you to be honest.

 

[jaime]

Why not?



Again, why is the Doctor no longer a role model for boys?
And the way you write, it sounds like the Doctor is the ONLY role model for boys out there...

I guess we're just gonna have to share the Doctor with women for a bit... let's see... we had him for 50 years, only seems fair women get The Doctor for the next 50...



I would just like you to be honest.

Sigh. If the doctor has to be female so that female viewers can identify with the character, then logic demands that means male viewers now can’t. (Neither of which I find true, but if thats th argument for ‘why’ then that’s inescapable.)

In terms non-violent characters, with the positive traits the Doctor embodies as a character? Yes. There’s only one on mainstream TV. Funnily enough, most other ‘hero’ characters are often crafted around a stereotyped ‘maleness’ that is consider old hat at the least now. Until 96, the Doctor was also something of an androgynous character, asexual the least. So some fans already lost ‘their’ doctor, chipped away at.
And if the show is good enough and successful enough to go another fifty years as a female character, great, I don’t mind. (You are using arguments I have seen a thousand times, but from a flawed premise in this case...I don’t mind the Doctor being female. I just think it was a bad decision. If I really was motivated by some silly prejudice, I am sure I would no doubt be terribly incensed by flippant Nyah arguments.) Thing is, I thought we were already ‘sharing’ in the first place. I have never argued SF or Who is ‘for boys’ that’s someone else’s argument, including some of the arguments for the change tbh.
But I don’t think it will. I don’t think the casting will be the sole factor in this, I think we’ve been heading towards a second wilderness years patch a while now. Which may be a good thing, it was last time.
What I really want to hear, is an argument for why it’s a good thing that isn’t dependent on tit for tat politicicisation. Might help reassure me we have more than three years on the clock.
Again, I can place a bet with myself that you came to the show as an adult, that it’s not one with a sort of historical place in the family that might come with that.
It’s a different point of view, I respect that, but I side with Davison and hope to see it go well, now the decision has been made.