This was pretty big news a couple of months ago, but talk of it has died down since then. It might flare up again when the episodes start airing. A woman, actress Jodie Whittaker, was announced on July 16th as the 13th person to play the role of Doctor Who in the next season of the long-running series. I am not that familiar with the show, but my wife and my mother-in-law are really into it. Apparently the Doctor has taken on female form before, but not as the lead for a full season. The decision to cast a female in the role was pretty controversial among fans of the show, and the geeky news cycle blew up for a little while about it. I guess it would be similar to someone casting a female James Bond or something. There are traditionalists who yell, "It just isn't done!" and there are revolutionists who shout, "This is necessary!" and there are neutral folks who exclaim, "Let's see how it turns out before we make a judgment!"
Topps holds a license to make Doctor Who trading cards, so they capitalized on the opportunity to make a Topps Now card for the announcement. It sold 1400 copies, and I was one of the folks who ordered one. I think I got mine at a discount from an eBay seller.
I doubt I'll watch the new show. I've seen a handful of episodes from previous seasons, but I haven't ever really had the desire to watch them all. I still have a long list of things I ought to watch, but I never get around to it. I think right now the priorities on my list are Stranger Things (and pretty soon Stranger Things 2), all of the Marvel movies I've missed over the last few years, GLOW, the last season of Arrested Development, the new IT movie, and a couple of cartoons I've been meaning to check out.
I started watching Doctor Who back in the late 1970's when it was just some odd British show that the New York PBS station aired. I've been through a number of regenerations and I've found that a) Your first Doctor will always be your favorite Doctor, and b) No matter who comes into the role, everybody says "Aw, jeez, I don't know, will this one be as good as the one leaving?" ...And for the most part everything is fine (except for Doctor #6, who I never liked).
ReplyDeleteAnyone who's been watching the show during the past season could see the gender switch coming sooner or later. Jodie Whittaker was great on Broadchurch, so I'm looking forward to seeing her take on The Doctor.
"Your first Doctor will always be your favorite Doctor".
DeleteYup, totally agree. I haven't been able to watch the show since Tom Baker left. He was the first one I watched.
That's a good point. It seems like your favorite iteration of a show is usually the first one you saw, probably especially with a show where the main character is replaced frequently as part of the story.
DeleteHow funny. One of the teachers I work with were just talking about how a female Doctor Who would rekindle an interest in the show we both enjoyed a few years back. I stopped watching maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Never could get into the old guy as the 12th Doctor. Maybe I'll give the 13th a shot.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I'll check it out. I'm not much of a TV watcher. I would imagine that as long as the script is good, the show will gain new fans who maybe wouldn't have started watching if the new Doctor was another male.
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