It's really not an issue of PC to me. I don't want to see any story be dictated by what's politically correct. I just want a story to be entertaining. Personally I'm not hoping for the Doctor to become female, but if it happened and the story was both interesting and believable, then I'll watch and see how it goes. What I'm saying is that I don't disagree with your doubts as to whether it would work or not. I just get a little tired of knee jerk reactions based on nothing more than a potential idea. I think the show has probably earned your benefit of the doubt at least, you having been a fan for 52 years, no?
I've been a fan of the Doctor for 52 years, and he's a man I admire a lot (otherwise I wouldn't bother:)) . If he suddenly changes into a woman, sorry, not interested. I think the show would change direction too much for no good reason and why should I bother with something I find completely wrong,
With the right actress I think it could be done. Michelle Gomez showed that it could be done.
It's an interesting subject.
I disagree. I thought Missy was great but had to watch her as a new character entirely as I just didn't buy into the whole "she's-the-master-regenerated" thing. the whole thing of the Doctor becoming a woman doesn't feel like a natural progression of the story, but just a gimmick to grab a bit of attention. It's unnecessary.
Last night we saw another good reason for this not to happen.
So the General regenerates into a female TL and what's the first thing he / she says? Some daft sexist comment about 'how do men cope with all that ego?', which as a guy I actually found quite insulting.
The next Doctor should be Meera Syal, obviously: an excellent character actor who also happens to represent the second largest ethnic demographic in the UK, as appropriate for a UK show.
I disagree. I thought Missy was great but had to watch her as a new character entirely as I just didn't buy into the whole "she's-the-master-regenerated" thing. the whole thing of the Doctor becoming a woman doesn't feel like a natural progression of the story, but just a gimmick to grab a bit of attention. It's unnecessary.
I quite agree. My earliest memories of Doctor Who are the later Patrick Troughton years and I have been a 'loyal' viewer ever since and I must admit to fearing the worse.
Mr Moffat is gradually adding bits to get us used to a female doctor and quite frankly, I find it insulting.
I never liked the 'Missy' character, despite Digital Spy's rave reviews and her comment earlier in the series about when the doctor was a girl (meant or not) just drags the whole show down for me.
Now we have had a white male regenerate into a black female! What a prime example of the worse political correctness ever shown on British TV (in my view of course) and Mr Moffat will not be happy until he gets his way.
I also don't buy into the argument that 'as long its the best actor for the role, then thats okay', because we mustn't forget the fundamental basis of the show since day one has been a white male leading role. That has worked for years and should stay the same.
Now does that make me a racist or anti-female? The answer is, of course not. I just don't get, or accept this hysteria for change.
Some people have said that as a process, regeneration can mean a gender or colour change. Thats just too simplistic. Even on a fictional planet like Gallifrey there will be different colours and creeds, as on earth. But to suggest that a regeneration could change the sex or colour of a character is downright pathetic.
I don't mean to offend anyone who has the opposite view, but I do feel strongly about this and should a female or 'non-white' actor ever be cast I will stop viewing. I don't doubt that I am alone (even after 46 years) and that would be a shame and an insult to my loyalty to the show.
But then, the BBC and Mr Moffat seem to positively enjoy this don't they?:D
I don't see the problem really, we now have 2 established examples in the series of male time lords regenerating into females, it's plausible it could happen to the doctor.
It's plausible that the Doctor could regenerate into a female version of himself, but I don't want this to happen. Why would we need a female Doctor? Just so the show can tick a box. The Doctor, to me, is a male role and I agree with Alex Kingston all the way. The Doctor has always been a man, and I would rather he stayed that way. It did work with the Master/Missy but he/she isn't fronting the show. Keep the Doctor male please, Moff. (and future showrunners).
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat said earlier this year (2015): “It’s not an impossibility to have a lady Doctor. It is not a lock either. There is no guarantee.
“I wish sometimes that the politics of that would take a backseat and we’d just talk about the art, because it’s not really about that. It’s just about ‘would it work?’
“The day it will work is when somebody says, ‘That person would be amazing,’ and the most conservative, most traditional member of the audience says, ‘Oh God, yes. I would hate the idea of a lady Doctor, but that one would be great.’”
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat said earlier this year (2015): “It’s not an impossibility to have a lady Doctor. It is not a lock either. There is no guarantee.
“I wish sometimes that the politics of that would take a backseat and we’d just talk about the art, because it’s not really about that. It’s just about ‘would it work?’
“The day it will work is when somebody says, ‘That person would be amazing,’ and the most conservative, most traditional member of the audience says, ‘Oh God, yes. I would hate the idea of a lady Doctor, but that one would be great.’”
Well, I guess we'll never know then. tingramretro was banned years ago.
No no how could it be Ian Beale,he still thinks you can escape a Dalek by walking upstairs. He wouldn't last 5 minutes as this Quote of an old old post from nextexit explains
Reminds me of an old Lee & Herring skit:
Quote:
Ian Beale tells his joke
CUT TO RICH LAUGHING UPROARIOUSLY AT THIS JOKE.
RICH They just have to go upstairs! Brilliant. Why aren’t you laughing Stew
STEW Because Ian Beale’s highly original joke is wrong Rich. If ian Beale had only watched episode one of the 1988 Sylvester McCoy story REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS then he would have seen Dr Who trapped at the top of some stairs in a cellar and turning to see a Dalek floating up the stairs behind him, using a hover facility which was first revealed as long as ago as the 1960s in the comic TV21. Yet still, cartoonists, stand up comedians, the panellists of Channel 4’s comedy quiz show “Space Cadets” and Ian Beale continue to make this flawed joke. I did find Ian Beale’s comment amusing, but I was laughing at him, at his ignorance.
AGAIN AND AGAIN SHOWING OF THE JOKE..
RICH Who do you think would win in a fight between a Dalek and Ian Beale, Stew?
STEW The Dalek definitely. Because Ian Beale, in his smug ignorance, would think he was safe if he ran upstairs and the dalek would just hover up and kill him.
I posted a comment about the male-female thing one of the previous times this got debated and artistically I'm just not sure how you would satisfy anyone. Either the Doctor with her new gender (and presumably built in female underwear) stands up and goes 'oh look, woman' (think Joanna Lumley here) and makes no deal of it at all because, after all, we are all very clever, mature people for whom gender assignment is a social construct. That offends the loudly vocal group of the population for whom being a woman is a political issue and negates the whole concept of the female experience and how convenient it is that every planet that the new female Doctor visits has no problem with women (especially in threat situations). Let's just hope the Doctor doesn't land in rural Afghanistan and get thrashed to within an inch of her life for not being fully covered.
The alternative to not recognising that it's a different experience is to explore this within the script. No, I've fallen asleep thinking about that.
So frankly, what is the point? Is the world so bereft of talented male actors that we have to resort to a female actor to deliver the lines, because if we are not exploring the impact of gender, surely that's all it is?
And Heaven help us if it's the present Head Honcho of the programme that introduces it, because all I see is another sassy-woman-with-attitude cypher of whom I've seen sufficient, thanks. Oh, it's made me all cross now....
Can I reverse it a bit. If he Dr had been played by a woman all this time, would people be climbing for them to be played by a man. I suspect not and to be honest if it had been played by a woman all that time I wouldn't want them to be played by a man either. The same as it is I don't want a woman playing the doctor who's always been male. A step too far as people have already said.
No no how could it be Ian Beale,he still thinks you can escape a Dalek by walking upstairs. He wouldn't last 5 minutes as this Quote of an old old post from nextexit explains
Reminds me of an old Lee & Herring skit:
Quote:
Ian Beale tells his joke
CUT TO RICH LAUGHING UPROARIOUSLY AT THIS JOKE.
RICH They just have to go upstairs! Brilliant. Why aren’t you laughing Stew
STEW Because Ian Beale’s highly original joke is wrong Rich. If ian Beale had only watched episode one of the 1988 Sylvester McCoy story REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS then he would have seen Dr Who trapped at the top of some stairs in a cellar and turning to see a Dalek floating up the stairs behind him, using a hover facility which was first revealed as long as ago as the 1960s in the comic TV21. Yet still, cartoonists, stand up comedians, the panellists of Channel 4’s comedy quiz show “Space Cadets” and Ian Beale continue to make this flawed joke. I did find Ian Beale’s comment amusing, but I was laughing at him, at his ignorance.
AGAIN AND AGAIN SHOWING OF THE JOKE..
RICH Who do you think would win in a fight between a Dalek and Ian Beale, Stew?
STEW The Dalek definitely. Because Ian Beale, in his smug ignorance, would think he was safe if he ran upstairs and the dalek would just hover up and kill him.
Remember that well.
Richard likes Who (especially when Amy Pond is in it, for some reason) but I think Stewart's a bit hardcore on the quiet. A few times when he's written about the BBC or media stuff in general, he's made a rather glowing reference to Doctor Who. Good lad.
There are many actresses who would give marvellous interpretations of the Doctor such as Suranne Jones, Ruth Wilson, Lesley Sharp to name but three. All would be eminently watchable and enjoyable in the role I'm sure but... it's a cop out isn't it?
Have a two parter with a female Doctor from another dimension by all means but I don't want to see a long established character like the Doctor changed so dramatically. I don't want to see a teenage Master John Marple or John Luther portrayed by Jackie Chan. Part of the character of Miss Marple is that she appears to be a harmless old biddy whilst being sharp, observant and keenly intelligent. John Luther is an intimidating figure of a man with deductive instinct and the soul of a poet. Marple should always be an old white woman and only Idris Elba should ever be Luther. The Doctor really should be an eccentric man (ideally in and around the middle age years) as it is part of his character. I'd have no problem with him changing race by the way although I think he'd rather be ginger!
Create new characters - want a time lady? - bring back Romana if you must or create a new one (my preference) and the best thing is any new character created can be any sex, colour, sexual orientation, height and hair colour that their creator intends!
It's just fiction and with the right actress one day why not? Another 12 regenerations left. Though I do wonder if a female Doctor may look at the end of a Dalek in a whole new light. Jon Pertwees assistant stripped and sat on one!!!
Comments
I've been a fan of the Doctor for 52 years, and he's a man I admire a lot (otherwise I wouldn't bother:)) . If he suddenly changes into a woman, sorry, not interested. I think the show would change direction too much for no good reason and why should I bother with something I find completely wrong,
I disagree. I thought Missy was great but had to watch her as a new character entirely as I just didn't buy into the whole "she's-the-master-regenerated" thing. the whole thing of the Doctor becoming a woman doesn't feel like a natural progression of the story, but just a gimmick to grab a bit of attention. It's unnecessary.
So the General regenerates into a female TL and what's the first thing he / she says? Some daft sexist comment about 'how do men cope with all that ego?', which as a guy I actually found quite insulting.
(PS This is a joke. But she could do it.)
I quite agree. My earliest memories of Doctor Who are the later Patrick Troughton years and I have been a 'loyal' viewer ever since and I must admit to fearing the worse.
Mr Moffat is gradually adding bits to get us used to a female doctor and quite frankly, I find it insulting.
I never liked the 'Missy' character, despite Digital Spy's rave reviews and her comment earlier in the series about when the doctor was a girl (meant or not) just drags the whole show down for me.
Now we have had a white male regenerate into a black female! What a prime example of the worse political correctness ever shown on British TV (in my view of course) and Mr Moffat will not be happy until he gets his way.
I also don't buy into the argument that 'as long its the best actor for the role, then thats okay', because we mustn't forget the fundamental basis of the show since day one has been a white male leading role. That has worked for years and should stay the same.
Now does that make me a racist or anti-female? The answer is, of course not. I just don't get, or accept this hysteria for change.
Some people have said that as a process, regeneration can mean a gender or colour change. Thats just too simplistic. Even on a fictional planet like Gallifrey there will be different colours and creeds, as on earth. But to suggest that a regeneration could change the sex or colour of a character is downright pathetic.
I don't mean to offend anyone who has the opposite view, but I do feel strongly about this and should a female or 'non-white' actor ever be cast I will stop viewing. I don't doubt that I am alone (even after 46 years) and that would be a shame and an insult to my loyalty to the show.
But then, the BBC and Mr Moffat seem to positively enjoy this don't they?:D
“I wish sometimes that the politics of that would take a backseat and we’d just talk about the art, because it’s not really about that. It’s just about ‘would it work?’
“The day it will work is when somebody says, ‘That person would be amazing,’ and the most conservative, most traditional member of the audience says, ‘Oh God, yes. I would hate the idea of a lady Doctor, but that one would be great.’”
Well, I guess we'll never know then. tingramretro was banned years ago.
No no how could it be Ian Beale,he still thinks you can escape a Dalek by walking upstairs. He wouldn't last 5 minutes as this Quote of an old old post from nextexit explains
Reminds me of an old Lee & Herring skit:
Quote:
Ian Beale tells his joke
CUT TO RICH LAUGHING UPROARIOUSLY AT THIS JOKE.
RICH They just have to go upstairs! Brilliant. Why aren’t you laughing Stew
STEW Because Ian Beale’s highly original joke is wrong Rich. If ian Beale had only watched episode one of the 1988 Sylvester McCoy story REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS then he would have seen Dr Who trapped at the top of some stairs in a cellar and turning to see a Dalek floating up the stairs behind him, using a hover facility which was first revealed as long as ago as the 1960s in the comic TV21. Yet still, cartoonists, stand up comedians, the panellists of Channel 4’s comedy quiz show “Space Cadets” and Ian Beale continue to make this flawed joke. I did find Ian Beale’s comment amusing, but I was laughing at him, at his ignorance.
AGAIN AND AGAIN SHOWING OF THE JOKE..
RICH Who do you think would win in a fight between a Dalek and Ian Beale, Stew?
STEW The Dalek definitely. Because Ian Beale, in his smug ignorance, would think he was safe if he ran upstairs and the dalek would just hover up and kill him.
The alternative to not recognising that it's a different experience is to explore this within the script. No, I've fallen asleep thinking about that.
So frankly, what is the point? Is the world so bereft of talented male actors that we have to resort to a female actor to deliver the lines, because if we are not exploring the impact of gender, surely that's all it is?
And Heaven help us if it's the present Head Honcho of the programme that introduces it, because all I see is another sassy-woman-with-attitude cypher of whom I've seen sufficient, thanks. Oh, it's made me all cross now....
Remember that well.
Richard likes Who (especially when Amy Pond is in it, for some reason) but I think Stewart's a bit hardcore on the quiet. A few times when he's written about the BBC or media stuff in general, he's made a rather glowing reference to Doctor Who. Good lad.
Have a two parter with a female Doctor from another dimension by all means but I don't want to see a long established character like the Doctor changed so dramatically. I don't want to see a teenage Master John Marple or John Luther portrayed by Jackie Chan. Part of the character of Miss Marple is that she appears to be a harmless old biddy whilst being sharp, observant and keenly intelligent. John Luther is an intimidating figure of a man with deductive instinct and the soul of a poet. Marple should always be an old white woman and only Idris Elba should ever be Luther. The Doctor really should be an eccentric man (ideally in and around the middle age years) as it is part of his character. I'd have no problem with him changing race by the way although I think he'd rather be ginger!
Create new characters - want a time lady? - bring back Romana if you must or create a new one (my preference) and the best thing is any new character created can be any sex, colour, sexual orientation, height and hair colour that their creator intends!