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How a Young Female Doctor Could Give 'Doctor Who' a Fresh Start

The Doctor has always remained a male character, but is it time to change things around and force the Doctor to regenerate into a dashing young female?

By Lewis JefferiesPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

On November 23rd, 1963 television was no longer the same. Why? This was day Doctor Who was broadcast for the very first time on BBC One. The show ran from 1963 and came to halt in 1989 when it was officially cancelled by the BBC due to the low ratings the show achieved. However, #DoctorWho fans were (slightly) relieved when the Americans attempted to bring the show back in the 1996 TV movie. With the TV movie being a misery to numerous Doctor Who fans, it was then announced that the show would be making a full comeback in 2005, with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor.

Since the beginning of the show, the Doctor has always remained a male character, but is it time to change things around and force the Doctor to regenerate into a dashing young female? This topic is a very sensitive one. Why? It brings out the political side of all the fans of the show. A fairly large portion of fans demand that the Doctor stay a male Time Lord. Whereas, another large collection of fans think it's time BBC flipped the table to cast a female as the Doctor. Let's not forget, some fans aren't exactly bothered about what gender the Doctor is. We're all equal right?

Many actresses such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Tilda Swinton have been tipped to replace #PeterCapaldi when he departs this year. But could a female Doctor actually benefit the show?

The Return of the Male Companions

'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

Ever since Doctor Who was revived back in 2005, there has not been a full-time male companion traveling with the Doctor, it's always been a female. Of course, there was Mickey, Captain Jack and Rory, but when did you see them have a solo adventure with the Doctor without anyone else in the TARDIS?

Following the huge success of Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) becoming the first female companion of the revived series, the showrunners have continued with a female companion all the way through to the present day with Bill Potts, played by newcomer Pearl Mackie. Every female character has had a unique storyline all throughout Doctor Who.

However, it has become tedious that the stories are always companion based, and focus less on the Doctor, as was seen in "Bad Wolf" and the Doctor Donna. This is starting to become tiring for numerous fans, as the show is called Doctor Who, and now is the perfect time to shift the focus back on the Doctor by introducing a female lead. That way, the showrunners have the ability to continue with these smart and complicated ideas through the Doctor instead of a companion. If the male companion were to get one of these smart and complicated storylines, it would act as a breather for the show, almost reviving the show once again.

If the Doctor shockingly regenerated into a female, the Doctor Who showrunners would have the opportunity to open a new chapter for the show and give female companions a well-deserved break. If #BBC were to cast a young male companion to stand aside the female lead, teen girls would rush to the screens to meet their new idol as he travels through time and space for 12 weeks! This would then expand the audience of the show massively, and would be a lot more eye-catching to the next generation of young adults.

A Huge Opportunity To Revive The Sonic Lipstick

'The Sarah Jane Adventures' [Credit: BBC]

10 years ago, The Sarah Jane Adventures first aired on CBBC, and was basically Doctor Who for much younger children. Sarah Jane Smith was a past companion of the Doctor, and has been a favorite ever since her debut episode. With Sarah Jane basically being the Doctor accompanied by a group of children, she was well known not only for her super computer in the wall, but also for her iconic and flashy Sonic Lipstick, which the Doctor apparently gave to her.

Despite the tragic passing of character Sarah Jane Smith in 2011, this is the perfect opportunity to stop by Bannerman Road and pick up the Sonic Lipstick from Sarah Jane, ready for a fresh set of adventures. Who says Sarah Jane has to be in at the time?

Not only that, the Doctor loves his fabulous and bright designs for his Sonic Lipstick, so if the young female Doctor concentrated hard on making her Sonic Lipstick, we would see something fantastic, sparkly and original. We all love a bit of pink and purple in our lives, right?

But what if a female Doctor was to totally change the show completely and not have any gadgets whatsoever? With the Doctor being a female, she could become a full-on solo warrior, and have nothing fancy or flashy to weigh her down. A woman has her brain, and that is the best weapon every human being has!

The TARDIS could be used less, which would be a good thing.

'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

We all love a trip in the TARDIS, but is it time to park it up somewhere and use it less? In my opinion, I don't think a female Doctor would constantly want to travel around in a blue box across space. I think she'd prefer to travel in a more unique way that will change Doctor Who for all the good reasons, and make a female Doctor what she is.

This is the best opportunity to resurrect the Doctor strolling around with umbrella in every episode (potentially a Sonic device as well?). The seventh Doctor, portrayed by Sylvester McCoy, always carried around an umbrella because, well, you never know when you're gonna need it. If the female Doctor were to carry around an umbrella, this could be a simple and useful mode of transport for the Doctor in times of need, like we saw with Missy back in Series 8.

On the other hand, is it time to open the garage and uncover Bessie for another series of solid adventures? Bessie is an iconic piece of transport in Doctor Who and was heavily used by the third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee. With a female Doctor and using Bessie as her mode of transport in every episode, it is highly likely that we will get a lot more Earth-based episodes, which we don't see many of these days.

A regeneration from male to female has happened before.

'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

Current Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and past Doctors are already behind the idea of the Doctor becoming female, and with the Master currently being female and The General regenerating as a female in Series 9, its now 50/50 that the Doctor will be a female when Peter Capaldi departs at the end of 2017.

Sharing my thoughts, I am not 100 percent set on the Doctor regenerating as a dashing female, but I believe that the Doctor should at least regenerate into a female for a special episode. For example, the 75th anniversary, or even the 100th anniversary (which is quite far off at the moment). I do think that a female Doctor would create something fresh, exciting audiences with her glamorous accessories. Why not a quirky bag bigger on the inside, a Mary Poppins-style umbrella, Sonic Lipstick, or even stylish, bright red high heels to match? Fans won't be able to take their eyes off her. A female Doctor could potentially become a quintessential role for Doctor Who in many years yet to come.

Despite this topic causing a huge amount of controversy between the Doctor Who fans, you can't exactly please everyone!

scifi tv
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About the Creator

Lewis Jefferies

MA Media and Communication graduate from the University of Portsmouth - Massive Doctor Who Fan.

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