Doctor Who, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction, Television Shows

Should the 13th Doctor be a Woman?

The Author

Unless you’ve given up on Doctor Who and unliked all the DW-related Facebook pages as I should have done long ago, you’ve likely heard everyone screaming from the ether: THE NEXT DOCTOR HAS TO BE A WOMAN!!

Now in the past, my opinion on a female playing The Doctor has been-

However, now that Moffat is on his way out and a much better character writer is slated to be the next show-runner, my opinion on the subject has changed slightly.

I can’t say I’d be over the moon about The Doctor being a woman, but, let’s face it, Doctor Who needs a change. Fast.

Theoretically this show could go on forever. Since it has a continually revolving cast that changes every few years or so, there’s no reason for it to stop even if actors or producers quit.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t get formulaic and predictable after a while.

If you have played a Doctor Who drinking game in the last four years or so, then you’re probably reading this post from a coffin. How’s the wifi down there, by the way?

No one I know watches Doctor Who casually anymore. Or at all, actually.

Most of them stopped watching after Matt Smith left, or even before the baby-faced wonder bid us adeu.

And I think the reason why is obvious: the writing got boring.

It’s the same shtick over and over.

First act: The Doctor, meaning to take companions one place, ends up taking them to another place. They are then confronted with a deadly danger/dangerous mystery/deady dangerous mystery and are forced to run from alien monsters of some description.

Second act: The Doctor becomes discouraged, but then the companion needlessly reminds him that he’s “The Doctor” and he’s amazing and stuff. The companion is usually captured and The Doctor is forced to contend with seemingly impossible odds. He does a thing and confronts the big bad.

Third act: The Doctor performs a now paint-by-numbers speech about how awesome he is, defeats the villain, then sods off with his companion who usually has a witty quip or two to offer about the whole situation. They then pop into the TARDIS and all is well. Cue end credits.

See what I mean?

So…perhaps…just perhaps…changing The Doctor into a woman wouldn’t be the worst idea? For one thing, it would give us an opportunity to explore The Doctor’s character on a level we never have before. We’ve already done the “am I actually a good guy?” thing a million times by this point. Changing him into a woman would give us a whole new dynamic to work with. And if he had a male companion we wouldn’t have to watch them constantly measuring dicks all the time. That’d be a nice change of pace.

I envision a female Doctor as like a Romana/10th Doctor hybrid.

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Only not a colossal disappointment. Damn you Hell Bent. The fandom will never recover.

Realistically, however, it’s very likely that they will cast another man. Because safety is better than creative risks when it comes to television. At least that’s what most people in the biz seem to believe.

However, if they cast Eddie Redmayne all would be forgiven.

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The Doctor would finally be ginger. And adorable.

Regardless, I swear to Cthulu, if this show disappoints me again once Chibnail takes the lead, I am leaving!

FemmeDoctor or no FemmeDoctor.

Published by The Author

Hello, person. It's nice to meet you. I am a twenty-something published writer obsessed with tea and coffee. I mostly blog about writing and books, but occasionally I will write about fandoms as I am a massive nerd. Enjoy your stay. But mind the bears.

27 thoughts on “Should the 13th Doctor be a Woman?”

  1. I agree that writing has gotten predictable. I watched the first season with Capaldi and I liked it but I haven’t watched the newest ones. Doctor Who lately has been missing the…well, Doctor Who-y nature for a long time. It’s why I haven’t been bothered that I haven’t watched it. I think making the Doctor a woman would be amazing (I already have a few actresses in mind, do you?) and give a show something new and different. Maybe get back to that Doctor Who-y nature. However, Eddie Redmayne is wonderful (I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was a lot darker than the original Harry Potter movies but amazing!) and casting him would be fantastic! (See what i did there?) I think he could bring back the Doctor we know and love.

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    1. Doctor Who has been missing its soul for quite a while now. I look forward to an actor or actress who can breathe new life into it. Who are some actresses that you think would be good for the role?

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      1. Hayley Atwell would be a good one. The main woman from Penny Dreadful (also from the Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.) Hmm. Or even an older actress like Meryl Streep. If they do go female, they might need to do a popular actress in order to get viewers. Doctor Who needs that soul back. I love the idea of a female Doctor. And you know, if it weren’t for the fact Alex Kingston already plays River Song, she’d be awesome too. Helen Mirren, the woman who plays Scully, Gillian Anderson. Helena Bonham Carter (iffy on that one) or the woman who plays Mary Morstan on BBC’s Sherlock. Or maybe even a completely unknown one. The show has been missing something for a long long time. While Capaldi I liked, it seems to have lost it’s soul.

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  2. I think they started to write for a younger audience – the children who had become fans of the show – and the stories go too simple. They forgot that the only reason kids watched it in the first place was because their parents loved it – and now we don’t anymore because the stories have just got silly. As far as I am concerned the Doctor died when David Tennant died and only a few of the subsequent episodes are allowed to exist in my mind. Oh, those wonderful stories they used to tell – Love and Monsters is one of my favourites and the Doctor is hardly even in it. The relationships with the companions have gotten predictable as well. Rose, Donna and Martha all had a different way of being with the Dr. All good things must come to an end I suppose. However, if Eddie turns up…

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    1. The problem is they have tried to appeal to everyone and, as a result, it has been appealing to no one. One minute our protagonists are in a very dire, very adult situation, the next someone is making a joke only a five year-old would find funny. It’s too jarring of a tone change. It doesn’t help that Moffat is more concerned with being clever than tell a coherent story. Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor and I’ve loved stories and arcs Moffat has written in the past. However, THIS is the reason that creative people need someone to tell them NO. Moffat has been surrounded by yes-men who don’t do anything except call him a genius, hence the suffering in show quality. And I agree that the relationships between the companions have become too predictable as well. Although, I do appreciate the relationship 11 had with Amy. At first she had feelings for him, but she began to realize over time that she only liked him as a friend and they became more like family to one another.

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      1. And then they jump into the story so quickly with such fast dialogue that I can’t keep up (I don’t think I am slow) as though the only good story is one that leaps straight into the action. The sad thing is I will keep watching! In hope.

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      2. See, I don’t really have a favorite. I like 9, 10 and 11 all for different reasons. Same with 12. However, I do love the family aspect 11 had with Amy Pond. That was beautiful. I miss that. Don’t make the companion a love interest. Make them family.

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    2. Or you know, bring back some of the favorites. Where is Jack Harkness? I know John Barrowman is busy with Arrow and all of those shows. But maybe bring back his character. Even for a moment. I miss those stories. I miss worhwhile companions that were interesting. Give us a new Doctor and you know what? A vastly different companion. It needs to go back to what Doctor Who has always been. And I agree. Eddie Redmayne. That would be superb.

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      1. I kind of want an alien companion. Just for something different. They don’t have to be purple or anything, just someone from a different world. And not someone from the 51st century who is horny 24/7, that gets old real fast >.>

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      8. And yes. Yes, we should. I am emailing my resume to the BBC as we speak lol. The pilot for series 11’s story is that the last four years has been a dream and Gallifrey is still gone because, as it turns out, actions have consequences and things don’t always go people’s way O_o

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      9. I’ll email my resume as well. Let’s get David Tennant and Matt Smith on the phone ASAP and get their input. Series 11 is a dream and the new Doctor was kidnapped and put in a dream-like state. The new companion (maybe the alien?) finds him and saves his life. And that’s how they meet. The new Doctor (no idea who, maybe the female Doctor?) and the new companion thus begin to explore and figure out who and why someone put the Doctor in a dream-like state. Input?

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      10. Great idea! Perhaps the alien is a spy sent to shut down the other aliens that kidnapped The Doctor and she decided to help him/her while she was on this mission. While we’re at it, Clara Oswald was a clone that was used as a means to lure The Doctor into this trap. Perhaps we could give 11 a proper regeneration story this time. Also there was no War Doctor and the metacrisis Doctor does not count as a regeneration so the 11th Doctor is actually the 11th Doctor. Damn, I miss those days.

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      11. …I think we need to write this fanfiction, Rachael. Ooo. Alien is definitely a spy and sees the Doctor is stuck is just like “Sigh well I guess I’ll save you. Jeez Time Lords are useless.” (I’ve always wanted to create my own alien species.) Clara as a clone is brilliant. I was…iffy about her. Never sure if I liked her or not. And we never got a true regeneration story with 11. (Can’t we keep 11?) And a real regeneration which means Eddie Redmayne or a female of our choosing.

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      13. Lol. Same. I still haven’t even started my Captain America fanfiction…finished the one I am doing with a friend…Or you know, even started my original story yet. Maybe one day.

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      14. Because there wasn’t a regeneration with 11. The new season came out and boom, 12. It was like…what? Okay? What happened? Why did it happen? I thought he was done regenerating.

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  3. Aww I’d die happily if Eddie was casted as the 13th Doctor! He’d definitely bring a new personality and a new feel to the show. We’ve had too much of: “I’m the Doctor and I’m extremely self confident and always know what I’m doing!”

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    1. I don’t think the ego is going away since it’s been a staple of his character for all these years. Nevertheless, I’m getting annoyed with all the tropes and the constant reminders of how awesome he is. I think I liked it better when he was just an idiot romping about the universe. Now he has to be Space Jesus and The Most Important Person In The Universe. We’ve had several years of this and I’m looking forward to a different perspective. It’s long overdue.

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      1. Yes exactly. Enough of him being too loved by the whole universe and constantly having to save it. Yeah definitely…
        We’ll have to wait and see what the new writers change in the show.

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