Ok, let’s get this out of the way. I’m a bit of a Doctor Who fan. I wouldn’t call myself a true Whovian, but I thoroughly enjoyed the two seasons of the series, and I do have someone that I would call “My Doctor” (David Tennant, in case you were wondering.)
But today, news broke that seems to have shaken the Who-niverse (Who-niverse? Who-verse?).
Doctor Who will regenerate. Into a woman.
The shock! The horror! The pain! The inhumanity! How dare they just take someone who has been in this role and cast someone completely different into it! Doctor Who has never done that before! They have always had the same actor playing the same role for a long time!
Oh, of course, that’s the entire premise of Doctor Who’s regenerations …
Well, ok. They’ve never taken such an iconic character and made them into a woman.
Ah …
Ok, forgetting that since its inception, The Doctor has always been played by a man. One of the ways that the show has lasted so long has been that The Doctor can regenerate. And it isn’t just the outer appearance that can change, it’s the personality. It’s who they are. David Tennant was different to Matt Smith, who was different to Peter Capaldi, who was different to Tom Baker, who was different to William Hartnell, who was different to Jon Pertwee, who was … you get the point. They were all different to one another, and yet they were all The Doctor. Different traits, different personas, different identities, different styles, different ages, same character.
And now Jodie Whittaker has been announced to be taking over the role. And I, for one, am really excited to see what this will mean for the character.
Admittedly, I’ve not seen her in much. I know her from St Trinians and that’s about it. But her casting in that role shows me she can do crazy. She could amp it up a little and do Doctor-level crazy. At least since the new run, there has always been a hint of insanity in The Doctor. The kind of insanity that brings out the most absurd yet intelligent side of The Doctor. I think Jodie can pull that off.
Now, granted, there will be a lot of hate. Some of it won’t be “because she’s a woman” but “because The Doctor has always been a man.” But we’ve seen many changes in the series since this new run started with Christopher Eccleston. The Master, one of the most iconic villains of the series, became “Missy” and quite a few fans adore her. She also shares the same kind of insanity as The Doctor, although she is quintessentially evil. She is as much The Master as Peter Capaldi and those before him are The Doctor. But there was always hate before the introduction of a new character. Many, if not all, companions will have gained hate way before they appeared on screen, as will each new Doctor. Yet each one developed a following of their own. Each one developed its own fan base. Each one became a fan’s “My Doctor” and “My Companion” (for the record, my “My Companion” is Jenna Coleman.) So the fact that Jodie is getting hate before she even appeared on screen doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.
Personally, I can’t wait until the Christmas special. I can’t wait until the new season starts. I am really looking forward to seeing Jodie take on this role. She might be awesome. She might be the worst person to take on the role.
Who knows? (Pun intended)