James Bond might still be demonstrably white after the franchise threw money at Daniel Craig till he caved, but the UK‘s other long-running franchise with an ever-changing lead – ‘Dr Who‘ – might be actually be in for a shake up.
Yesterday Peter Capaldi, the show’s current Time Lord, announced he’d be leaving after the 2017 Christmas special, during which the 13th Doctor would be reincarnated.
It coincides with the departure of longtime showrunner Steven Moffat, giving a real chance for incoming showrunning, ‘Broadchurch‘ writer Chris Chibnall, to breathe fresh life into a series that’s seen it’s last season dip in the ratings.
And fans are calling out for Chibnall to cast a black or female actor in the iconic role.
I would love love the next #DrWho to be Olivia Coleman ( there I’ve said it!)
— Tracy Ann Oberman (@TracyAnnO) January 31, 2017
As Peter Capaldi is leaving Doctor Who, there is only one logical replacement . . .
Say hello to Number 13! pic.twitter.com/Q8SNm2V7cF— 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) January 30, 2017
Don’t watch Dr Who anymore but would love to see a female doctor this time around, it’s about time…travel
— Turps (@The_T) January 31, 2017
Olivia Coleman (‘Peep Show‘) and Richard Ayoade (my dream journal) are the two frontrunners – as far as the fanbase goes – but David Harewood (‘Supergirl‘) and Ben Whishaw (neither black nor female, but an adorable Q in the Bond films) are also in the mix.
Bookies are favouring Whishaw to step into the Tardis, with Richard Ayoade a close second, Rory Kinnear (that guy you know from everything, including the determined detective in ‘Imitation Game‘) in third, and Miranda Hart (‘Call the Midwife‘) sliding in fourth place to be the favourite female contender.
Fan favourite Coleman – who has previously starred in Doctor Who as herself – doesn’t even get a look in until #10 place, after Helena Bonham Carter.
Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler, ruled herself out of contention, but said it would “feel like a snub” if the role didn’t go to a woman and that “it would be great given the spirit of the world at the moment.”
Moffat – who said he had previously offered the role to a black actor, but “for various reasons, it didn’t work out” – said it would be “amazing” for the show to have two non-white leads (this season debuts Pearl Mackie, whose father is from the West Indies, as the new companion).
However, founder of mega fansite Doctor Who Online, Sebastian J Brook, told The Guardian that while most fans support the idea of a non-white Doctor, a female doctor would change the dynamic of the show and that it should only happen “for the right reason”.
He also made a strong push on Twitter for the show to hire more female writers and directors, which he says it’s been severely lacking.
As for ‘should it happen?’, possibly but only if it was for the right reason and not for the sake of it. There’s been a long and…
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
…successful formula, and it’s down to the BBC to judge whether it’s time to change that formula and the dynamic. We’ve had a lot of…
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
…strong female leads since the show returned, and I wonder if we would have had as many if we’d had a main female lead in The Doctor?…
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
…the focus (in our opinion) should be hiring more female writers and directors and getting the equality right behind the scenes. We…
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
…we’re rather shocked to discover that in the entire 50-year history, there have only been 10 female Directors on #DoctorWho! This is…
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
…something that has to change. Also, don’t attack the fans that want The Doctor to remain male – not all of them are sexist or…
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
…misogynistic. It’s perfectly ok if you just want him to be a him 🙂 But this show is about change, so who knows. Who knows. [/rant] 🙂
— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) January 31, 2017
Nothing will be firmed up till later in the year, so there’s plenty of time to make your opinions incessantly known on the line.
Photo: Getty / David M. Bennett; Karwai Tang; Mike Marsland.
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