A read that this idea had been kicking around for awhile. What if in one of Dr. Who's death's and rebirths he became a she. How would this affect viewership and the show's plot?
Dr. Who a woman
- Thread starter Willmatron
- Start date
The Idea of A female doctor started as a joke by Tom Baker when he gave a press conference announcing he was leaving and John Nathan Turner played along with it.
The Doctor Who Unbound audio Series did a audio Exile that deal with that. It was my least favorite of the series with the Doctor spending all her time in a Pub.
http://www.drwhoguide.com/unbound06.htm
There was a good series of Four Doctor Who as a Women fan films that use to be available online.
And The Comic Relief skit with Rowan Atkinson ended with the Doctor as a Woman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do-wDPoC6GM&feature=related
So the idea is not that crazy. Plus Neil Gaiman had a reference in The Doctor Wife about a Time Lord that was both male and Female.
So the issue becomes, a matter of finding a Good Actress to play the Doctor, Coming up with a Good Character for the actress to play.(Look at Colin Baker for a example with Him playing the Doctor Wrong) and getting good scripts.
Assuming that at the end of Tom Baker run as the Doctor, JNT was really considering a Female for the Doctor , there are a number of female British comedians who could have done a good job as well as a Number of Classic train actress who could have done a good job. It would have been interesting to see Judi Dench or Diana Riggs as the Doctor for two possibility.
Character, Do you change the Doctor because a female is playing the Role or treat her the same? is the character going to be Detective like?, A action hero, or a Grand dame character? This decision will affect how the Doctor is portrayed.
And Lastly Good Scripts. This is something that was a problem through most of JNT run as Producer. Colin Baker Doctor suffer the most from Bad Scripts and Sylvester McCoy first season as the doctor was hurt by bad scripts. So could they get good scripts?
If they could get all three, then the fans would have little problem with a female Doctor. It not that big a leap from regenerating into another Man, to have the Doctor regenerate into a woman.
But if JNT blow one of the Three, then it would hurt the show and maybe cause a earlier canceling of the show. It could reduce the chance of the show being renew.
Helen Mirren wants the job!
Who's been skewing younger and younger with each season. As much as I love the current team, it's getting to the point where the TARDIS could use a Mystery Machine paint job; they're almost teenaged at this point.
So casting an older woman is going to have a noticeable effect. Viewership will probably stay similar- die-hard fans aren't going anywhere. The casual, young viewers the producers seem to be so desperately clawing for may melt away, which will be seen as a net loss even if the show picks up comparable numbers of older viewers.
As far as I know the show has a show-runner who shepherds long-term plot but that individual episodes get shopped out to different writers and directors. If they did nab Mirren, I can't imagine she'd do it without some greater degree of control (basically none) than previous Doctors have had. This will probably mean a new show-runner taking over with less of an ego than Moffat, one more willing to share power.
I see two outcomes possible from this:
1) Given Mirren's contacts and the self-interest she'd bring to being in a good show, I'd imagine the quality of directing and writing would improve, if anything. Let's call this the Olmos Model, as this is how things went down in Battlestar Galactica.
2) This becomes Mirren's fun-times retirement project; what she does to have a laugh and not care while doing what she loves because she's achieved her career goals and just doesn't care anymore. Therefore, the show goes on auto-pilot and you can flip a coin to say whether it maintains quality (though I doubt the BBC would let a property this lucrative degrade that much.) There are a million actors I could name this model after, but I'm tempted to call it the David Beckham.
Who's been skewing younger and younger with each season. As much as I love the current team, it's getting to the point where the TARDIS could use a Mystery Machine paint job; they're almost teenaged at this point.
So casting an older woman is going to have a noticeable effect. Viewership will probably stay similar- die-hard fans aren't going anywhere. The casual, young viewers the producers seem to be so desperately clawing for may melt away, which will be seen as a net loss even if the show picks up comparable numbers of older viewers.
As far as I know the show has a show-runner who shepherds long-term plot but that individual episodes get shopped out to different writers and directors. If they did nab Mirren, I can't imagine she'd do it without some greater degree of control (basically none) than previous Doctors have had. This will probably mean a new show-runner taking over with less of an ego than Moffat, one more willing to share power.
I see two outcomes possible from this:
1) Given Mirren's contacts and the self-interest she'd bring to being in a good show, I'd imagine the quality of directing and writing would improve, if anything. Let's call this the Olmos Model, as this is how things went down in Battlestar Galactica.
2) This becomes Mirren's fun-times retirement project; what she does to have a laugh and not care while doing what she loves because she's achieved her career goals and just doesn't care anymore. Therefore, the show goes on auto-pilot and you can flip a coin to say whether it maintains quality (though I doubt the BBC would let a property this lucrative degrade that much.) There are a million actors I could name this model after, but I'm tempted to call it the David Beckham.
Diana riggs would be great, im sure she could pull off a great doctor.
Might helen mirren be too serious? Most what i know of her is very serious, dramatic roles. But im not a movie buff, so i could be way off.
Might helen mirren be too serious? Most what i know of her is very serious, dramatic roles. But im not a movie buff, so i could be way off.
tallthinkev
Donor
It would never happen, unless they are willing to lose 90% of viewers. It's the whole point of having Times Ladies.
JRScott
Banned
It could be successful I suppose but much like when Starbuck was made a woman in the remake of Battlestar Galactica you would turn off some die hard fans. If it could get past the first season or two it could overcome those prejudices.
A spin off say based on Romana would probably be successful with perhaps guests appearances by the Doctor
A spin off say based on Romana would probably be successful with perhaps guests appearances by the Doctor
tallthinkev
Donor
There have been quite 'spin offs' involving Romana. She has been in at least 50 different books or audio cd's. Written for the BBC, Virgin or Big Finish. It has been infured(?) the she undergone a re-gen at least once more.
I can recommend Lungbarrow by Marc Platt for a good one to read, if you can find one that least or what to pay upto £100.
At a recent convention, (can't remember which one) Steven Moffit asked for a show of hands who would they want or watch a female Doctor, 90% said no.
And,yes, I am that sad when it comes to Doctor Who. And have even started to read the Benny stuff.
I can recommend Lungbarrow by Marc Platt for a good one to read, if you can find one that least or what to pay upto £100.
At a recent convention, (can't remember which one) Steven Moffit asked for a show of hands who would they want or watch a female Doctor, 90% said no.
And,yes, I am that sad when it comes to Doctor Who. And have even started to read the Benny stuff.
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Well, some Timelords seem to able to control their regeneration, like Romana who was able to control what she'd look like when she regenerated.
I like the idea of a female Doctor though.
There have been quite 'spin offs' involving Romana. She has been in at least 50 different books or audio cd's. Written for the BBC, Virgin or Big Finish. It has been infured(?) the she undergone a re-gen at least once more.
I can recommend Lungbarrow by Marc Platt for a good one to read, if you can find one that least or what to pay upto £100.
At a recent convention, (can't remember which one) Steven Moffit asked for a show of hands who would they want or watch a female Doctor, 90% said no.
And,yes, I am that sad when it comes to Doctor Who. And have even started to read the Benny stuff.
I find it interesting that my 'first print' NA collection may be worth something now (approximately the first 50 Virgin books). Unfortunately the spines are dried on most of them.
Anyway, I'd have to agree on the sentiment about a female Doctor (unlikely). However, a female time traveler is another thing.
We have several good choices here, depending on how far Canon is taken:1) From the new series, the 'daughter' clone that's running around (forgetting the name, sorry).
2) Kadiatu in the later NAs.
3) Ace of course (Time's Vigilante,** as put forward in the NAs).
4) Benny, but that got explored a bit in other books (and I find those wanting, sadly). Perhaps a mini-reboot here?
5) Iris Wildthyme (sp), the Doctor's alleged lover in various short stories. I keep feeling she was 'rebooted' already as River Song.
Lots to work from here, on any of them.
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** This is related to the NAs and other related books citing the Doctor as "Time's Champion."
I think you're right about (pardon me) "real fans." But the show has a lot of casual viewers now and has worked in the last several years to court those casual viewers. I suspect the show would survive and even thrive under someone like Mirren. She'd be a Patrick Stewart for the Whoniverse.
Obviously it would have to be done well or it would be "jump the shark" time.
It would be in tune with Thatcher becoming PM for Tom Baker to be replaced by a woman, and maybe that woman could be a counter-culture er counter to Thatcher, showing up what she's doing wrong through allegorical sci-fi...
You could snatch Joanna Lumley from New Avengers, or Sally Knyvette of Blakes Seven fame, was thinking one of the Tomorrow People actresses and maybe a black female Doctor would be really radical for the time!
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
It would be in tune with Thatcher becoming PM for Tom Baker to be replaced by a woman, and maybe that woman could be a counter-culture er counter to Thatcher, showing up what she's doing wrong through allegorical sci-fi...
You could snatch Joanna Lumley from New Avengers, or Sally Knyvette of Blakes Seven fame, was thinking one of the Tomorrow People actresses and maybe a black female Doctor would be really radical for the time!
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Max Sinister
Banned
If the sex of Dr. Who was chosen randomly each time, this would be really odd. Ten reincarnations, always as a man? That's less than 1 in 1000!