The perennial “female Doctor” question has reared its “ugly to some, attractive to others” head this week thanks to an Evening Standard interview with the rather lovely Lara Pulver.
Best known as Irene Adler in Steven Moffat’s Sherlock (although younger fans may recognise her as Isabella Gisborne from BBC One’s Robin Hood), Pulver was asked about whether she would appear in Doctor Who.
“Steven and I have both said we thoroughly enjoyed working together, and then there was me being in Wales so the media put two and two together.”
Of course, there is no yes or no answer given there… there’s also scant indication in the wider interview as to whether she would return to Sherlock or not.
Fans of the idea of a female Doctor would perhaps be more interested in Lara’s answer to whether or not she would like to play the lead role…
“Yes and no. Not if it meant the end of the Doctor Who franchise, because the fans aren’t keen on it.”
Let the pro/anti female Doctor discussion commence! (Again…)
I’m not anti-female Doctor, but not her. Just…no. I can see her as The Master, though.
No and no. Just no.
Some things are just meant to be the way they are and the Doctor being a man is one of them.
It would depend on how she decided to play the part. If the decision were prompted by her portrayal of Irene Adler, then no- it would be wrong. Cast the best actor/ress for the role. Don’t do it based on that person having been excellent in a role in a different type of programme. I am still not convinced that Matt Smith plans to leave quite yet, anyway.
While I have absolutely no problem with a female Doctor, I’m not convinced Ms. Pulver is ideally suited to the role.
I just don’t get all this ‘the Doctor is male, end of’ type attitude that’s out there though, as the character and series reinvents itself every few years, and I’ll always give any reinvention a chance.
Still, I really want Matt Smith to stay in the role as long as possible as he is absolutely superb. I had real reservations about casting an actor so young but he is perfect in the role and gets better and better. To follow Tennant was tough, but he absolutely soars.
The makers of the show will always do what they think is best for the programme. Sometimes fans don’t like it, but the faithful will always stay. If the time – or actress – isn’t right they won’t cast a female Doctor.
Whatever anyone thinks about a female Doctor you can guarantee it will happen one day, so start getting used to the idea. Might not be next year, five or ten. But within the next 50 years? Dead cert.
The day they cast a female Doctor is the day I stop watching the show. The Doctor being male is as traditional as Christmas.There are enough series out there where the lead character is female, there’s no reason to just make the Doctor female to be PC.
Let’s be honest if Time Lords could change sex by regenerating then both David Campbell and Leela are in for a bit of a shock!
Exactly. Would you have Romana changed to a male? Somehow I doubt it. But that doesn’t mean the show’s makers won’t do the reverse (to the Dr).
No. I don’t care for her to be the Doctor.
Helen Mirren please. And she wants to do it.
Please . . . Speculation about female Doctors is for lazy tabloids that want to fill space. It’s not something lovers of the show ever need to waste energy considering.
At risk of stereotyping men and women, I think a lot of what I enjoy about the character are predominantly male attributes. I like his arrogance, his pompous old man attitude. His lack of understanding of people’s emotions, or his seeing them as irrelevant. Even his relationship with the Tardis is like a man’s love for his car. Make the Doctor a woman, and a lot of these elements don’t work, or at least not in the same way. Of course, I’m being extremely general with gender traits, and the show is about change, but how much change can we accept before it stops being Doctor Who