Jodie Whittaker is the 13th Doctor!

On the 16th of July, after the men's Wimbledon final, it was announced by the BBC that Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch, St. Trinian's) will be taking over the role of The Doctor in the Sci-Fi classic show Doctor Who after Peter Capaldi will be exiting the show after the Christmas Special this year. Normally I don't really talk about Television on this blog. But I've been a huge fan of Doctor Who since its return in 2005. And I feel that this casting announcement is such a big deal that it's definitely worth discussing. Both in how much of a change it is to the show and the heavily polarised reaction to the news.With some Praising the idea almost as if it's the second coming and others up in arms over it as if Ragnarok is about to begin.

Arguments For

More conservative audiences who are opposed to the idea of a female doctor have branded this casting as an SJW/Feminist agenda move. With horrible, over-blown comments such as '#notmydoctor' and 'Would you expect a female James Bond?' But there actually some very good points to why a female doctor is a good move on the BBC's end.

The Corsair

Perhaps where the conversation for a female Doctor began. In the season 6 episode The Doctor's Wife (2011) the doctor references his old friend, the Corsair, who regenerated into a woman of a couple of times. This is perhaps the first time that it's been mentioned that Time Lords can change gender upon regeneration. This was the scene that opened the window for the possibility of having a female doctor, at least to New Who fans. Therefore, it is a good argument for the introduction of a female doctor as Time Lords have been known to change gender in the past. It's Canon!

Missy

Another piece of evidence is, of course, Missy! In the Season 8 episode Dark Water (2014) it was revealed that fan-favourite villain The Master had regenerated into a woman since the last time audiences saw him. Played by the talented Michelle Gomez (Green Wing, Bad Education) who was able to reinvent the character in, what many would consider, a successful way. This was such a serious risk that the show took, making a serious change to one of its most recognisable villains, and it seems that the risk worked out! At least for the beginning of Gomez's run. Strong evidence to how a female doctor can be quite successful.

The Rani

Using an example from Classic Who. During Colin Baker's run as The Doctor audiences were introduced to a new villain called The Rani (Kate O'Mara). What makes this character relevant to this argument is that she is a good example of a female character done right by the show. The Rani was powerful, cruel and could even rival The Master, which she did in the 1985 episode Mark Of The Rani. Whilst not exactly a modern example of a good female character, she is does show that Doctor Who has been able to have strong Time Ladies in its past. Something that could boost confidence in the idea of a female Doctor.

Representation

Perhaps the most important argument for why a female Doctor is important is representation. the Doctor Who fan base is very diverse, with female audiences taking up at least half of it. And with female audiences wanting to see more representation in the media, primarily in film and television, the media seems to be answering. With Female-lead films such as Wonder Woman (2017, Patty Jenkins), which is the most successful Superhero film of the year so far, Ghost In The Shell (2017, Rupert Sanders), starring fan-favourite Scarlett Johansson, and Atomic Blonde (2017, David Leitch). Doctor Who does have the capability to be a part of this female renaissance, particularly with the flexible nature of the regeneration process by bringing in its first Female lead since its release 54 years ago.

Arguments Against

Many have criticised the arguments against Jodie Whittaker becoming the next Doctor. Branding nay-sayers as sexist and misogynistic. And, to an extent, this is fairly true. But I would argue that the people against this change do have some legitimate criticisms that should be addressed.

Track-record/Poor-writing

Ever since Steven Moffat started as the head-writer for the show the quality in female characters has been declining. Being criticised for being over-sexualised, bland and quite annoying. The best examples of this are the companions. Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) and Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie). All of which suffered from at least one or all of these problems.  As a result, the last few years of female characters on the show doesn't do well to boost confidence for the change and how a female will be depicted.

Missy

Whilst I put Missy down as a reason for a female Doctor, I also feel that her character is something of a double-edged sword. Whilst starting off pretty strong in her debut in season 8 she slowly declined in quality, and even began to show some of the problems that the female companions showed. She also developed something of a romantic feeling between her and the Doctor, something that was never before. This began to affect her character in the later season. With her wanting to become good in order to impress him. Something is demeaning to women, the message that they need to change in order to be accepted by someone they fancy. So, whilst Missy started quite strong, she can also be used as an example against a female Doctor.

Tokenism

Recently Doctor Who has also been facing an issue with tokenism. One that doesn't really seem to be talked about a lot. My main example of this is the character Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie). Before Bill came onto the screen it was announced by the show that she will be a lesbian. This was a big deal for the show as it was going to represent the LGBT community in such a huge way. But then, as the series went on, it felt like Bill had to constantly mention the fact that she was gay. Even to the point where in the series 10 finale episode The Doctor Falls she seems to mention it to The Doctor for no reason. And, because of this. Her sexual preferences became more of a gimmick than anything else. Now, there is an argument here that the same will be done for Jodie Whittaker's Doctor. Using the fact as a woman as more of a gimmick and it will hinder the character the way being gay did Bill. Again, this is down to poor writing, but it's still a part of the more recent episodes and could translate into future episodes. Another good argument against a female doctor.

Personal opinion

With all of the arguments both for and against I have to say I'm stuck in the middle. I believe that a female doctor does have the capability to be very successful. but, unfortunately, the treatment of female characters over the past 7 years doesn't seem to bode well for the idea. However, if you notice from all of the arguments against the idea stem primarily from poor-writing. After the Christmas special Steven Moffat is stepping down as Head-Writer of Doctor Who and will be succeeded by Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch). Whilst this doesn't automatically mean that the writing will improve there's still hope that the quality in writing will increase. 

   As for Jodie Whittaker herself, I haven't really watched her in anything. But I will definitely be watching Broadchurch very soon! Plus, many people have been saying that she is a good actress, such as Peter Capaldi (Local Hero, The Thick Of It) who I would trust as he has played The Doctor since 2013 and has been exceptional in the role (as far as the writing would take him).

What I would say is, that everything is up in the air right now. No one knows how great Jodie Whittaker will do in the role and no one knows how Chris Chibnall will do as Head Writer. Audiences will only gain a solid opinion on Whittaker's Doctor when we finally see her in the role next year.

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