It's official, the BBC has announced that the new Doctor is English actress Jodie Whittaker. Joddie is the first woman to be cast in the iconic role as Doctor Who. Each time a new Doctor is cast Whovians wring their hands and carry on and I suspect that this will be amplified by Chris Chibnall's selection. There will of course be the sexist whose heads explode about the fact that the Doctor is now a woman, even though it's been thoroughly shown on Doctor Who that Timelords do in fact shift their gender when they regenerate. The conversation will probably be polarized between those who want to keep the White man's club and those who are anxious to see a real shift.
We've written countless times about the fact that Doctor Who tends to benefit from the diversity of its spinoffs even if Doctor Who itself hasn't really been all that inclusive. The casting of Jodie Whittaker is a step in the right direction. Whittaker has set herself a tough task ahead because while no new incarnation is free of criticism, it's quite certain that hers will be absolutely laced with misogyny regardless of how good she performs in the role, or the work that the writers give her to do.
To be clear, I'm going to miss Peter Capaldi a lot. I think that he's been an excellent Doctor and completely compelling to watch but it's time to say goodbye. Just like Doctor's we've come to love before he will be remembered for his unique approach to this role and thanked for giving the world angry eyebrows. As we move forward into a new incarnation, I hope that we can embrace the new and give Whittaker a real chance to embody this role. I hope that we can be everything that the Doctor has always wanted humanity to be.
