In one fell swoop, the Powers That Be made history early last month by announcing Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor in Doctor Who.
It’s a casting milestone that had been long on the cards – at one point, Han Solo actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge emerged as the out-and-out frontrunner – and this Christmas, we’ll see Peter Capaldi hand over the keys to the TARDIS in the festive-themed “Twice Upon a Time.”
But for all of the excitement and often short-sighted furor that Whittaker’s casting has caused, one argument that keeps coming up is that choosing a female for the role was a political move. According to former showrunner Russell T. Davies though, that’s simply not true.
Of course, it’s Davies who fans have to thank for reimagining the series into the smash hit it is today, as he brought Doctor Who back in 2005 and saw it through the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras before vacating the show in 2010. He made many progressive moves during his tenure as well, and according to him, bringing in Jodie as the next Time Lord was not done to be politically correct.
“This isn’t some big political strategy by the BBC. This is one man, Chris, moving into the big chair and deciding that’s what he wants to do. “There will be some kids sitting down on Christmas Day who don’t follow the news – and the Doctor will change into a woman and they won’t know. For those kids it will be as mysterious and as exciting as it was in 1966 when William Hartnell changed into Patrick Troughton. The programme has never been that original since.”
As mentioned above, Doctor Who will be back on our screens thanks to the 2017 Christmas Special, “Twice Upon a Time,” which will simultaneously usher in Whittaker as the titular hero and bid farewell to Peter Capaldi, who’s set to hang up his hat for good this festive season. Not only that, but if recent rumors are to be believed, we may be seeing Jenna Coleman back on the show as well, as she’s said to be returning to help see Capaldi off.
That remains unconfirmed, of course, but for a taste of what’s to come, be sure to check out the trailer for “Twice Upon a Time” below.
