Female Doctor Who would have ‘pandered to liberals’
BBC show’s outgoing boss planned to cast a woman years ago, but feared upset to conservative viewers
STEVEN MOFFAT, the outgoing creative chief of Doctor Who, has admitted he thought about replacing both David Tennant and Matt Smith with a female Doctor but worried about pandering to “progressive liberals”.
This year’s Christmas special will mark his and actor Peter Capaldi’s de- parture from the BBC science-fiction series, which he has worked on since 2009.
Viewers will instead be tuning in with the hope of seeing the first female Time Lord, played by Jodie Whittaker, whose casting as the 13th Doctor was announced in the summer. Moffat, 56, who also worked on Sherlock, has handed over the reins to writer Chris Chibnall and in an interview with Radio Times he told how he toyed with the idea of casting a female Doctor himself.
The Scottish writer said he was ready to replace Matt Smith, the previous Doctor, with a woman after having considered the idea with his predecessor David Tennant but deciding it was too early.
“We could have replaced Matt Smith with a woman… but then I got obsessed with seeing Peter in the Tardis,” he said. Admitting he had no regrets over that decision, he did say he was worried about the show’s “Daily Mail-reading viewers” complaining that it would not be the same.
He added: “This isn’t a show exclusively for progressive liberals, this is also for people who voted Brexit. That’s not me politically at all, but we have to keep everyone on board.” Chibnall, best known for his work on
Torchwood, a Doctor Who spin-off, and the ITV detective serial Broadchurch, which starred Whittaker, is credited with the decision to break tradition and cast a female Doctor.
Moffat said: “All credit to him. It’s going to work, I know it is. More and more of the audience were asking for it. It’s is absolutely the right choice. Now is the time.”
Whittaker is not the first female Time Lord. In a 1999 Comic Relief spoof, Joanna Lumley was cast, a decision that was taken by Moffat, who wrote the sketch prior to taking over the show later in his career.
Moffat has met Whittaker and described her as “a fireball of mischief and irreverence. I think she’ll be brilliant as the Doctor”. Capaldi’s stepping down prompted calls for bosses to cast a woman.
Phoebe Waller-bridge, the Fleabag creator, was rumoured to be in contention, but Whittaker was chosen. Capaldi himself said he wanted a woman to replace him. “She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor,” he said.
The BBC has not confirmed if fans will get a glimpse of Whittaker’s reincarnation during the Christmas special, Twice Upon A Time.