'Doctor Who' showrunner insisted new Doctor be a woman
When Doctor Who returns on Oct. 7, Jodie Whittaker will make her debut as the eponymous Time Lord. It's the first time a woman will have that role, and -- as we now know -- that's entirely by design.
"We knew in our gut it was about time, and it felt like the right decision, and the character is non-gender specific in any way, really," executive producer Matt Strevens told Digital Spy in a recent interview.
"If ever there was a character that was never defined by gender, it's the Doctor. The Doctor is gender fluid in that sense."
There have been many Doctors over the years, a fact that's explained away in the show's fiction. As an extra-terrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor only looks human; in fact, Time Lords are practically ageless, and when their bodies expire they enter into a state of regeneration. When they re-emerge, gender is their choice to make.
Despite that, Whittaker is the first female Doctor in the show's 55-year history. As Strevens said, that decision was motivated in part by a demand from the newest showrunner, Chris Chibnall.
"That's what Chris wanted, that was part of his conditions of doing the job."
Topics Doctor Who
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
