Review The Whittaker Doctor

[Doctor Omega]

Looking at it objectively, I suspect that, we are about to get our first female Doctor, owing to the BBC teasing it as maybe being Phoebe as the first female Doctor on their own site.

For them then to announce Kris Marshall, or whoever, as yet another male Doctor....

I just think that they are too cowardly to risk a backlash from advocates of such a change - and let us not forget the comment from Billy Piper who has said that it would be a snub to cast another man now. The BBC put this comment on their website, technically making a rod for their own back if they now cast a man.

In addition, Moffat seems to have spent time a great deal of time and energy, going out of his way to show that gender-changing Time Lords are a simple matter of fact.

Looking at it now, he seems to have been laying the groundwork for his pal, Chibnall, who is almost certainly going to want to make a bold statement of intent at the start of his era.

And Chibnall is apparently happy with the idea of a female Doctor too.

So, to me, it all seems to be lining up for a female Doctor.

I do not necessarily think that it is definitely Phoebe (although it probably is), but I do think it will be a female Doctor.

And, to think, it all started as a joke on Tom Baker's part as he left the role in 1980.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Final list of most likely possibilites based on rumour, speculation and betting.....

Kris Marshall,

Paterson Joseph,

Jodie Whittaker,

Tom Rosenthal,

Luke Treadaway,

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Michaela Coel.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Kris Marshall





Paterson Joseph





Jodie Whittaker,





Tom Rosenthal,





Luke Treadaway,





Phoebe Waller-Bridge





Michaela Coel.

 

[duzit]

I believe I was the first poster on this thread in back in Feb. when I said:

"They'll probably make the next Dr. a black, female. Seems to be the popular choice these days.:)"

Shall we take bets???

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

So, this is correct? Jodie Whittaker is the new Doctor? Guys, I may be away most of the day processing this. See everyone tonight.

 

[ant-mac]

So, this is correct? Jodie Whittaker is the new Doctor? Guys, I may be away most of the day processing this. See everyone tonight.

Yes.

 

[Michael9]

From the BBC:

I'm very intrigued how Chibnall wants to play this. Unfortunately it will take to next April until the new episodes air :/

 

[Gavin]

Be interesting to see how the new Doctor is received by fans. I'm a little ambivalent. Not because I've got an issue with a female Doctor or the actor they've chosen, but because the show hasn't always done the best job writing for female characters. Hopefully Chris Chibnall and his team are up to the task and don't ignore the challenges that a female Doctor would experience in various times. At the same time they need to ensure that they don't go too far in the other direction and spend too much time on feminist issues. It's going to be a fairly fine line, acknowledging issues without hitting people over the head with them, and I suspect there will be a (hopefully small) number of people who won't be happy however it's done. Most importantly, if there isn't the boost in ratings that the BBC are obviously hoping for with this announcement, I hope that the blamed doesn't get put on Jodie Whittaker or the idea of a female Doctor.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

I just finished series one of Broadchurch and started series two, and I think she's going to be fine in the role. Also, I've decided to throw all of my support behind Jodie because I've seen too many comments on the interwebs today whining about "SJW agenda" and everything else that the right of centers all like to whine about. If it has pissed that many people on the right off so badly, it has to be a good thing.

 

[Michael9]

In earlier incarnations, the doctors usually joked along the lines that "sometimes you become female". As a "thing" you have to deal with, with a strong assumption that "The Doctor" was always male. Coming from the canon, I see a consistency there, not to skip the female variant and deal with the stories accordingly.

People use Missy, which was a bad example of a female timelord incarnation, as some sort of blueprint what she would be like. But I don't think that is fair in any regard. I'm very intrigued what and how she will play the part and I trust the management, who had problems with the last two seasons production wise, to go back to slightly better storytelling.

As the world is today, many people would get mad if you put "My name is Bond, Jane Bond" on film, because you cross some borders that shouldn't be crossed. But what does it say about a world, that some people get mad when they can't even hope that their beloved fictional characters of 40 years stays the same.

The doctor changes every three to four year anyway.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Whittaker’s “Who” Costume Still Undecided





The first publicity photos that follow the announcement of a new actor taking on the role of The Doctor in “Doctor Who” usually shows said actor in regular clothes.

This is because the signature outfit of that particular actor in the role has yet to be decided and won’t be until shooting on their first run of episodes gets underway.

The same is holding true of actress Jodie Whittaker who was announced as the newest incarnation of the Time Lord yesterday via a video announcement and publicity photo which saw her dressed in a combination of black hoodie under a grey tweed jacket.

It was clothing very similar to that of the titular character in the “Alan Wake” video game series and has sparked a small amount of like/dislike debate. However, Whittaker was asked in a new interview on The BBC if that was her outfit to which she said “No”. When asked what is she going to wear, she replied: “Don’t know yet”.

Whittaker has also spoken at length about getting the role:

“To be asked to play the ultimate character, to get to play pretend in the truest form: this is why I wanted to be an actor in the first place. To be able to play someone who is literally reinvented on screen, with all the freedoms that brings: what an unbelievable opportunity. And added to that, to be the first woman in that role.

It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be. It feels incredible.

If you need to be persuaded to do this part, you’re not right for this part, and the part isn’t right for you. I also think, for anyone taking this on, you have to want to fight for it, which I certainly had to do. I know there will have been some phenomenal actors who threw their hats in the ring.

I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

Two other key actors in the franchise have weighed in. First up, outgoing Time Lord Peter Capaldi says: “Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm. She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.”

Also offering commentary is Alex Kingston, The Doctor’s wife Professor River Song herself, who found out the news at a convention and offered a fun reaction. You can see her response in video form below:

 

[Doctor Omega]

Backlash over casting of Jodie Whittaker as new Doctor Who





Television series Doctor Who has faced immediate backlash following the BBC's announcement of actress Jodie Whittaker as the first ever female to take on the hallowed role.

The science fiction series, which has run on the BBC since 1963, has seen 12 men play the titular role of the extraterrestrial "Time Lord" who time travels the universe in a blue British police box called the Tardis (Time And Relative Dimension In Space).

Previous "Time Lords" have included Matt Smith and David Tennant.

But many "Whovians", or Doctor Who fans, are unhappy that a Time Lady instead of a Time Lord is at the helm.


Facebook and Twitter have become a hot bed for comments disparaging the decision to cast 35-year-old Whittaker.

Commenting on the official Doctor Who Facebook page post of the reveal video, many fans deemed their favourite show "ruined". Others dismissed the decision to cast a woman as a politically correct one.



One wrote: "I guess not even Doctor Who is beyond jumping on the popular politically correct bandwagon. Hoped for more. A woman would be fine, if it wasn't what the social climate (warriors) demanded. Way to cave under pressure."


Another fan wrote: "I'm not watching anymore."

The announcement was made on Sunday night (July 16) after the Wimbledon tennis men's final match. Whittaker will replace current Doctor, Peter Capaldi following the annual Christmas special episode, which is expected to air in December.

But there was also plenty of support on the decision to cast her, while calling out the misogyny.

One fan wrote: "Good grief, are you lot still living in 1950?! It's interesting how the vast majority giving hate for the simple fact that the new doctor has boobs are men. Intimidated maybe? Or just plain sexist pigs? I personally haven't watched since midway through Matt Smith's time as the Doctor, but I will certainly be watching to see what she brings to the role."

Another tweeted: "If you're angry about #doctor13 possibly being a woman, just remember: 1) Its not real 2) The Doctor is an alien 3) You're a moron"

Whittaker, a Guildhall School of Music and Drama alumni, most recently played Beth Latimer - a mother whose son is murdered - in BBC crime drama Broadchurch, alongside former Doctor Who, Tennant.

Fans of dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror will also recognise her as the character Ffion in the series one finale, The Entire History Of You.

Perhaps preempting the backlash, Whittaker urged fans in an interview with the BBC "not to be scared" by her gender. She said: "Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one."

Steven Moffat, the show's lead writer and executive producer, will also leave the series after the Christmas special and will be succeeded by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Shocker: Not Everyone Wants a Female Doctor Who,Jodie Whittaker Doesn’t Care
The actress has the perfect response for those who can’t imagine a time-traveling alien appearing as a woman.







When news broke that after 55 years and 12 male iterations, Doctor Who’s new Time Lord is going to be a woman—specifically, Jodie Whittaker—many fans were elated. After all, the campaign for a female Doctor has spanned years. But predictably, another contingent has already vocally declared that the sci-fi series’s main character—a time-traveling alien who can appear as anything—simply cannotmanifest mainly as a woman. Thankfully, it seems Whittaker expected this reaction—and has already offered the perfect response.

In her introductory interview with the BBC, which appears to have been conducted ahead of the network’s announcement Sunday, Whittaker said that being cast as the Doctor “feels incredible.”

“It feels completely overwhelming; as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be,” Whittaker continued.

Still, it seems she knew that misogyny was on the horizon; when asked what she’d like to tell fans, Whittaker was direct: “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

The outcry from trolls on Twitter who insist that the Doctor can only be a man might be disheartening to some fans—but many simply reveled in trolling the trolls. (Perhaps the best example is author Aaron Gillies, known on Twitter as TechnicallyRon, who turned some angry Daily Mail comments into title cards.) Besides, those close to the franchise have already given their blessing. Peter Capaldi, whom Whittaker will be succeeding in the franchise, told the BBC, “Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm. She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.” New head writer and E.P. Chris Chibnall added that Whittaker’s audition “simply blew us all away.”


https://twitter.com/TechnicallyRon/.../hollywood/2017/07/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker


The new season debuts in December. Hopefully by then, the furor will have died down. If not, frankly, some of these title cards are really fun. Who wouldn’t watch “Nobody Wants a TARDIS Full of Bras”?

 

[Michael9]

We don't know, if female timelords even need a bra. I mean, people who can travel trough space should have...a technique to solve this differently. There is an assumption here, that could be construed as "anti-alien" or "aliens are clueless" I'm not comfortable with

 

[ant-mac]

Could this be the new DOCTOR WHO theme?

 

[Doctor Omega]

It is a tragedy that Doris Day did not get to play "Doctor Who" in the two 1960's Dalek movies.

 

[ant-mac]

It is a tragedy that Doris Day did not get to play "Doctor Who" in the two 1960's Dalek movies.

I hear she actually made cameo appearances in both as a Dalek...

It was the one in the pink tutu, singing in the chorus line.

 

[Doctor Omega]

I was the Doctor and I’m over the moon that at last we have a female lead

Colin Baker





Whenever I have been interviewed about Doctor Who, the question has come up about the possibility of a female Doctor. I have never been able to think of any logical reason why an alien being capable of regenerating in extremis would necessarily retain all or indeed any of the characteristics of his (or her) pre-renewal self. (Pronouns are about to get tricky when talking about the Doctor).

The dozen or so personalities to emerge thus far from the chrysalis of regeneration have been as different as any you could pick at random on the Clapham omnibus on Gallifrey; except in one particular – gender. They have been young and old, they have been Scottish, northern and received pronunciation,they have been grumpy, feckless, patrician, barmy, innocent, brash and potty – but never female.

I have always found that problematical, not in the world we live in, but in the world the characters live in, particularly the Doctor’s world. The world we live in has a history of male domination, of stereotyping, of resistance to change, of playing it safe. Doctor Who has never been about that. The Doctor in all his incarnations has always been a passionate defender of justice, equality, fairness and resisted those who seek to dominate or destroy.

Admittedly, when the programme was first broadcast in the 60s, the character of the Doctor reflected the zeitgeist of that decade. William Hartnell gave us a patriarchal Doctor, perhaps patronising and condescending to our eyes today. But we have evolved, thankfully, and most of us see the absurdity of a world in which either gender should dominate the other or be regarded as second-class citizens. There is undoubtedly still much work to do but we are making progress.

So when I have been asked that question at conventions I have taken the opportunity to take a show of hands (from large numbers of predominantly Doctor Who fans in most cases) about their view of whether the Doctor could or should be a woman. I confess to being surprised when about 20%, or sometimes more, have considered the notion unthinkable – and many of them were women, whom one might think would be offended by the exclusion of their gender from the Tardis.

I like to think that it is not just because I am a father of four daughters that I resent the barriers to advancement and opportunity that are routinely thrown in their path. But it is certainly true that there are fewer striking role models for young females in our society – and on television and film – and fewer realistic opportunities to see paths through to the kind of success to which they have every right to aspire.

I have repeatedly stated publicly that I personally would not just welcome but expect a female doctor, but that I doubted the courage of the decision-makers at the BBC to allow a showrunner to explore the exciting opportunities afforded by such brave and game-changing casting. Clearly I was wrong and I congratulate Chris Chibnall, the incoming executive producer and writer, on succeeding where others may have failed or maybe not even tried. What is doubly encouraging is the fact he has very long track record of writing good strong parts for men and women alike, including the new Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, who was superb in Broadchurch (written by Chibnall).

But I have been shocked by the reaction of some people who would describe themselves as fans of the programme to the casting of a really good actress in the role. Some of them I know and am sad to see them vowing to “never watch the programme again”.

It is not an unfamiliar position in fandom (and I know I risk being a troll magnet in saying this) to mistake being a fan of something to owning it. A true fan of a football team supports their team even in defeat and as they slide down the leagues. I do not believe such catastrophe awaits Doctor Who and expect a renaissance – not that one is needed. Peter Capaldi was magnificent and was a refreshing contrast to the youthful trend that preceded him (who were also superb I hasten to add).

Let’s hope the disgruntled can be convinced in the end. But if we do lose some fans we will gain many more when it’s not just little boys in the playground (or bigger boys in the acting profession) saying: “I want to be the Doctor one day.”

 

[duzit]

I was the Doctor and I’m over the moon that at last we have a female lead

Colin Baker


View attachment 2454


Whenever I have been interviewed about Doctor Who, the question has come up about the possibility of a female Doctor. I have never been able to think of any logical reason why an alien being capable of regenerating in extremis would necessarily retain all or indeed any of the characteristics of his (or her) pre-renewal self. (Pronouns are about to get tricky when talking about the Doctor).

The dozen or so personalities to emerge thus far from the chrysalis of regeneration have been as different as any you could pick at random on the Clapham omnibus on Gallifrey; except in one particular – gender. They have been young and old, they have been Scottish, northern and received pronunciation,they have been grumpy, feckless, patrician, barmy, innocent, brash and potty – but never female.

I have always found that problematical, not in the world we live in, but in the world the characters live in, particularly the Doctor’s world. The world we live in has a history of male domination, of stereotyping, of resistance to change, of playing it safe. Doctor Who has never been about that. The Doctor in all his incarnations has always been a passionate defender of justice, equality, fairness and resisted those who seek to dominate or destroy.

Admittedly, when the programme was first broadcast in the 60s, the character of the Doctor reflected the zeitgeist of that decade. William Hartnell gave us a patriarchal Doctor, perhaps patronising and condescending to our eyes today. But we have evolved, thankfully, and most of us see the absurdity of a world in which either gender should dominate the other or be regarded as second-class citizens. There is undoubtedly still much work to do but we are making progress.

So when I have been asked that question at conventions I have taken the opportunity to take a show of hands (from large numbers of predominantly Doctor Who fans in most cases) about their view of whether the Doctor could or should be a woman. I confess to being surprised when about 20%, or sometimes more, have considered the notion unthinkable – and many of them were women, whom one might think would be offended by the exclusion of their gender from the Tardis.

I like to think that it is not just because I am a father of four daughters that I resent the barriers to advancement and opportunity that are routinely thrown in their path. But it is certainly true that there are fewer striking role models for young females in our society – and on television and film – and fewer realistic opportunities to see paths through to the kind of success to which they have every right to aspire.

I have repeatedly stated publicly that I personally would not just welcome but expect a female doctor, but that I doubted the courage of the decision-makers at the BBC to allow a showrunner to explore the exciting opportunities afforded by such brave and game-changing casting. Clearly I was wrong and I congratulate Chris Chibnall, the incoming executive producer and writer, on succeeding where others may have failed or maybe not even tried. What is doubly encouraging is the fact he has very long track record of writing good strong parts for men and women alike, including the new Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, who was superb in Broadchurch (written by Chibnall).

But I have been shocked by the reaction of some people who would describe themselves as fans of the programme to the casting of a really good actress in the role. Some of them I know and am sad to see them vowing to “never watch the programme again”.

It is not an unfamiliar position in fandom (and I know I risk being a troll magnet in saying this) to mistake being a fan of something to owning it. A true fan of a football team supports their team even in defeat and as they slide down the leagues. I do not believe such catastrophe awaits Doctor Who and expect a renaissance – not that one is needed. Peter Capaldi was magnificent and was a refreshing contrast to the youthful trend that preceded him (who were also superb I hasten to add).

Let’s hope the disgruntled can be convinced in the end. But if we do lose some fans we will gain many more when it’s not just little boys in the playground (or bigger boys in the acting profession) saying: “I want to be the Doctor one day.”

@Doctor Omega another excellent find. A positive commentary from a previous DW made for interesting reading. Thanks for providing us with these gems...◆◆◆♡♡♡

 

[Doctor Omega]