Doctor Who, whoever he or she may be
I am ten years old. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Doctor Who fan. I’m not old enough to remember any other actor playing the Doctor, although I’m aware that he regenerates. But I’ve been an ardent fan of the older man — older even than my uncle John, the oldest man I know who isn’t of my grandparents’ generation — who to me epitomises everything that the Doctor stands for.
And all that has changed. Those greying locks, the patrician older gentleman, is being replaced by someone completely different, someone young and blond. I know enough about the workings of the TV programme to know that a new producer is bringing in a star of the immensely popular series they previously worked on. And while deep down I know it’s going to be an exciting change, I am fearful that the programme that has come to mean more in the world to me than any other will never be the same.
And it never was. That was back in 1981, when Tom Baker announced his departure after seven years, paving the way for All Creatures Great and Small star Peter Davison to assume the mantle of the Fifth Doctor.
Pretty swiftly, Davison became the Doctor in my head. A very different character to his predecessor, with his hands on the Tardis console the programme definitely changed. No longer steered with abandon by a goggle-eyed mad genius, the time ship was in the control of a diffident young man who had acquired a clutch of companions who often seemed more bullish than he was.
And yet, it was undoubtedly still the Doctor. He still conveyed authority when he needed to. He was still someone to look up to in any situation.
Doctor Who had changed. The Doctor had changed. My relationship with my idol had changed.
But I was also reassured. For all its changes, it was also the same. The costume may have changed from Burgundy Bohemian to baffling cricket whites — but whatever colour the sleeve, the Doctor wore the same two hearts on it.
Good luck to the new Doctor, whoever he or she may be.
— Tom Baker, 1981
Fast forward 36 years, and we find ourselves with another change of lead that feels every bit as seismic. Incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall has recruited Jodie Whittaker, with whom he worked on three seasons of Broadchurch, to replace Peter Capaldi in what we assume will be the closing moments of this year’s Christmas special.
Cue the largest collection of jerking knees in the series’ history. Because, over 51 years since William Hartnell rejuvenated into a younger Time Lord with a complete different personality for the first time, this is the first time the regeneration has involved a change in gender.
Now, there has been negative reaction — although we should bear in mind that it is a minuscule part of the reaction in toto—and most of it is completely unwarranted. It comes from the sexist, misogynistic dregs of society who kick up an antisocial fuss online as a means of compensating for their own crushing sense of inadequacy.
Should we take their opinions into account? Absolutely not. Imagine if, instead of Whittaker, Chris Chibnall had hired a BAME male actor to play the next Doctor, and they’d objected that the Doctor must be white. We’d be hard pressed to deny that that was racism, pure and simple. So we shouldn’t feel bad about labelling similar reactions to Whittaker as the results of sexism and misogyny, when such motives are out in the open.
But is every concern sexist and misogynistic? Possibly not. In dismissing those arsewipes’ reactions, we risk also dismissing people who feel they have genuine concerns. Their motives for their reaction are borne out of fear: and really, what has the Doctor taught us other than they are the people who need our help the most?
I think the biggest, most real concern I’ve seen to date is one that a friend of mine aired on Facebook. She’s professionally involved with the world of Doctor Who and had been asked to contribute to a radio discussion. One point she didn’t get to make at the time was:
I like a non-violent, constantly-running-away brain-using kindness-loving male role model for my sons and I think that’s a valid point.
The Doctor has always been a somewhat unlikely role model in a fantasy world where most lead characters back up their words and actions with swords or guns. Instead, the Doctor uses charm, bluster and, most of all, knowledge. Whereas Clark Kent would take off his glasses to transform into Superman, David Tennant’s Doctor would put his on.
You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world! This room’s the greatest arsenal we could have — arm yourselves!
— The Doctor, Tooth and Claw (2006)
And for parents of young boys, showing them a man who is different from the macho archetypes of other series can be highly beneficial. Not only to the boys who are less inclined to athleticism and action, but to all boys — the lesson that being brutish rarely wins the day is an essential one.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to worry that a Doctor who is female becomes harder to act as a counterpoint to other shows’ machismo. Maybe, though, it provides an opportunity for parents to talk about why girls can be in charge too. Perhaps this can be an outlet to appreciating other women in genre fiction — from Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager to Wonder Woman, The CW’s Supergirl and more. Wouldn’t it be great if we discouraged a generation of boys from thinking that their role models only had to be men?
And here’s a tip: start with The Sarah Jane Adventures.
A CBBC spin-off from Doctor Who starring Elisabeth Sladen, who played companion Sarah Jane Smith opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, it sees the same character — now older and, one hopes, wiser — lead a young team in fighting the aliens who slip under the radar of the likes of the Doctor.
When Lis died in 2011, CBBC and its news show Newsround helped lead the channel’s young audience into dealing with the loss of their role model. And here’s the thing: it wasn’t just girls who were grieving. We had a Doctor-like role model who was a smart, intelligent woman, and boys loved her just as much as girls did.
And back with the main show, we have Netflix, DVDs, audio adventures and novels featuring all of the Doctor’s previous incarnations. If you or your child are worried that the Doctor’s newest change is going to stop them being the Doctor, dig out some older stories. Watch them together, and realise: it doesn’t matter if the Doctor is from the North, wears an inhumanly long scarf, thinks bow ties are cool or has killer eyebrows.
And it’s not going to matter if the Doctor you look at appears male or female. Because inside, those two hearts dance to the same beat as they have always done. And as a lesson that it really is what is inside that counts, we couldn’t ask for a better one.
