In the early outings for Twelve, the Doctor struggles to reaffirm himself with his place in the universe while Clara represents stability and strength. This comes to a head when she’s left by the Doctor and forced to make a harrowing decision that could have grave implications for the future of Earth and the potential destruction of its moon. In this case, the Doctor returns once his companion has done the heavy lifting for him before pardoning his own inaction by claiming he’s not fit to be left alone making such decisions. His reliance on Clara’s greater decisiveness and empathic strength forces him into the backseat and further cements her role as the key individual in the TARDIS at that time.
Two episodes after this definitive moment, Clara is again at the very head of the action as the Doctor’s trapped inside a shrunken TARDIS. Despite initially acting with his guidance in her ear, Clara’s separation from him eventually becomes absolute. From this point, she’s essentially thrust into the role fully and the Doctor himself even remarks on the switch at the conclusion. Throughout this run of the series, Clara demonstrates many of the Doctor’s own best traits while also being able to call on some key strengths that he himself is lacking.
Even after the adventures of ‘Doctor Clara’ take more of a backseat, the series continued to cement her as the key hero at the centre of the narrative. The end of her time in the TARDIS became one of the show’s most talked about moments in years and the “death of Clara” was without doubt the standout scene of that season. The impact of the moment itself contributed to this, of course, but it was Clara’s willing part in the event that made it so important.
In facing the risks of putting herself in harm’s way and taking the place of another’s wrongful death sentence, Clara showed she was willing to do what the Doctor cannot; she would die to save another. It’s a quirk of Doctor Who that the titular hero’s physical sacrifices are so easily overwritten by regenerations. With Clara not having the same luxury, her sacrifice is arguably the most heroic that any character has made since the show returned in 2005. By comparison, the Doctor is cast aside by friend and adversary alike at this point, leaving no doubt that Clara was leading things by now.
These few case studies aside, we’ve barely even begun to scratch the surface on other characters who stole the show and led it on its way for a period. Consider classic Doctor Who baddie The Master’s reintroduction as ‘Missy’ (short for Mistress) and her efforts to manipulate the Doctor’s journey by introducing him to Clara in the first place. Or think back over the countless encounters between the travelling Time Lord and the mysterious River Song, eventually revealed to be the only woman that the Doctor ever loved enough to be able to commit to. River represents evidence that the Doctor truly has learned something from his constant interactions with humans on earth, making her the character who’s perhaps responsible for the most heroic moments in his life.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to see where suggestions that Jodie Whittaker will struggle to be the series’ first female hero are originating. Anyone who’s watched the show over the last twelve years will have noted that, while no woman has yet been officially named The Doctor thus far, Doctor Who has truly been driven by its key female roles.
It’s true that Whittaker’s status as the first female actor in the title role doesn’t guarantee the show will still be great, just like drafting in any new male actor wouldn’t. What we can say for sure, however, is that Doctor Who has been led safely by female stars ever since it returned in 2005. As such, anyone who’s worried that the Thirteenth Doctor’s gender will get in the way of the success continuing obviously hasn’t been paying much attention since then.