Doctor Who’s That Girl?

by Neil Bamforth

Actress Jodie Whittaker is the next actor to be cast as Doctor Who. Doctor Who is about to become female. Social media is awash with outrage. There will be letters to The Times. The Government may be brought down. Protests, riots, revolution! “This is political correctness gone mad!” exclaim many fans of the show.

Personally, as a huge fan of the show, I have an open mind. Let’s wait and see eh?

Now look you angry and bewildered Doctor Who fans. Doctor Who never was a man. Well not a human one anyway, Doctor Who is a Time Lord from the Planet Gallifrey. He, now she, is in fact an alien.

Doctor Who doesn’t die he, now she, regenerates into a new body so let’s get a bit of perspective on this. As an alien he could regenerate into a purple blob with a large eye so thanks for small mercies methinks?

There are very few characters in fiction that could cope with a sex change or any other major change.

Could James Bond become a woman? No. Ian Fleming wrote the books and James Bond, whilst fictional, is clearly a white British man. Anything else would not be realistic.

Excellent black actor Idris Elba was, apparently, considered as a Bond. No, I’m sorry. I’m a big fan of Idris Elba but Bond has to be a white British male. That’s how Fleming wrote it. Bond’s best CIA pal Felix Leiter however, as a fairly ‘bit part’ character, has gone from white to black to white and back to black. That’s fine. Felix isn’t a major character really so we can suspend our imagination so far.

Could current Bond, British white male actor Daniel Craig play African slave Kunta Kinte in another film adaptation of Alex Haley’s magnificent book ‘Roots’? No, clearly not. African slave Kunta Kinte has to be played by a black actor or it just wouldn’t make sense.

So, most of the time, a major character even if fictional has to retain the fictional persona that has long been presented to the public or it just doesn’t work.

All rules however have exceptions.

In the original series of Battlestar Gallactica, Dirk Benedict played Starbuck. Starbuck was Apollo’s best mate and fellow star fighter pilot. Apollo was the son of Adama, leader of the rag tag spaceships full of humans looking for Earth and constantly chased by arch enemies The Cylons.

I never really ‘got into’ Battlestar Gallactica. Possibly due to the fact Adama was played by Bonanza’s Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and I quite oddly felt the actor playing Apollo reminded me of ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright. All we need was ‘Hoss’ to pop up in a flying saucer with Ray Walston as a guest star and we’d have had Bonanza meets My Favourite Martian.

Perhaps, as I wasn’t much of a fan, I easily accepted the rebooted Battlestar Galactica despite Starbuck now being a woman. Katee Sackhoff was a ‘Starbuck’ not to be trifled with – and it worked a treat.

So. It can be done. It has been done, successfully at that.

My hope is that the Producers of Doctor Who don’t fall into some ‘let’s be all feminist’ trap of portraying the female Doctor as a ‘strong woman’.

She has to be portrayed as the Doctor always has been. Flawed, occasionally dark, occasionally funny, occasionally wrong, sometimes manic, sometimes calm. Basically, as Jodie finds her feet as The Doctor, she has to be allowed to ‘grow into’ the character.

A ‘strong female’ character from the off would almost make her a cardboard cut out. As long as that is avoided I see no reason why Doctor Who cannot be a huge success as a female character.

What will almost certainly not happen is what I would love to happen as Peter Capaldi regenerates into Jodie Whittaker.

The hands start to flame. The head starts to flame. Much bangs and explosions and the old Doctor finishes regenerating into the new one.

“Hands, good. Fingers and thumbs. Good. Head, excellent. A nose, two ears, two eyes and a mouth. Marvellous”

“WAIT!” says the Doctor looking down. “What the hell are these?????” – jiggles breasts.

The Doctor then bends forward and looks towards the groin.

“OH MY GOD!!! WHERE HAVE THEY GONE????”

Well? That isn’t sexist!! It’s well known The Doctor takes at least two episodes to get used to his – oops – her new body!

Good luck Jodie. I, for one, will be cheering you on.

To those Who fans unhappy with developments I can only say this. Give the lady a chance. She joins an illustrious list and deserves to be given every chance. If you don’t give her a chance it will be your loss I think.

William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Ecclestone, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and now, Jodie Whittaker.

You go girl!!!!

(Quick nod to Peter Cushing who played The Doctor in a couple of low budget movies in the mid 60’s)

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