Introducing...
April 23, 2016 2:17 PM   Subscribe

...Pearl Mackie as Bill. Dr Who's new companion is revealed.

iplayer version
posted by biffa (74 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
I love the ethnic diversity, but I wish we could see some age and personality diversity too. Imagine a brilliant, incisive older African (not British African, but African African) or Asian woman as the Doctor's companion - someone willing and able to challenge him intellectually.
posted by stolyarova at 2:21 PM on April 23, 2016 [16 favorites]


Aw, c'mon. This is gonna be great.
posted by Modest House at 2:27 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Agree with the first comment, if for no other reason than a wider variety of companions would allow for a wider variety of relationships (and stories) with the Doctor- every NuWho companion so far has been some combination of bff/protege/love interest.
posted by Ndwright at 2:27 PM on April 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


Is that a Prince shirt?
posted by 41swans at 2:28 PM on April 23, 2016 [3 favorites]


When do we get a woman Doctor?
posted by mer2113 at 2:44 PM on April 23, 2016 [8 favorites]


I think she may be a bit Donna-like! We won't know till we actually see a few episodes, though. I know it's Not the Fannish Way but it'd be great if people could keep in mind that we actually know very little.

As always, I love The Oodcast's take on the inevitable reaction to every new companion: "What kind of name is Spackle?!" (It's the Pythonesque bit right at the beginning.)
posted by wintersweet at 2:46 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


wintersweet, I'm not objecting to the new companion. I'd prefer more diversity in terms of writing, and another young, funny, spunky girl isn't going to do that. I'd love a female (or ethnic, or both) doctor with an older male (or female) companion - now THAT would break new ground in the show.
posted by stolyarova at 2:52 PM on April 23, 2016


To clarify, she'll probably still be quite funny, but I don't expect much innovation from this companion.
posted by stolyarova at 2:52 PM on April 23, 2016


I'm actually cautiously optimistic about Bill. Mainly because she appears to be from the 1980s, which could open up some interesting and different stories. It's something that I've wanted (a companion from a different time era) and while the 1980s is actually pretty recent in the big picture -- it still isn't 2016. (Or 2017, since that's when this will air.)
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 2:54 PM on April 23, 2016 [9 favorites]


Aside from everything else, one of the reasons I'd be interested to see a female doctor is what it might do to the companion relationship. I'd like to see a female doctor with a male version of Leela, or a female version of Jamie for example because I think re-contextualizing those relationships would be really interesting.
posted by Grimgrin at 2:55 PM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


Noone can challenge the Doctor intellectually, no matter what gender.

"I love the ethnic diversity, but I wish we could see some age and personality diversity too. Imagine a brilliant, incisive older African (not British African, but African African) or Asian woman as the Doctor's companion - someone willing and able to challenge him intellectually."
posted by Docrailgun at 2:56 PM on April 23, 2016


...someone willing and able to challenge him intellectually.

The doctor's an older white male, I don't think anyone is supposed to challenge him in that way.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:05 PM on April 23, 2016 [17 favorites]


This discussion made me recall this thread, where we talked about Sarah Vowell being a companion. The Whelk wrote some fic and it was awesome.

And now I'm back to wanting a historian as a companion.
posted by JustKeepSwimming at 3:09 PM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I was hoping for TV's Frank.
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:12 PM on April 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


I'm still just sitting here waiting on Dr. Who played by Matt Berry and his companion played by Rich Fulcher.

With every other character being played variously by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, of course.

With Chris Morris somehow writing?

I think it would knock it out of the park.
posted by deadaluspark at 3:13 PM on April 23, 2016 [7 favorites]


Even when he was a younger white male (Matt Smith: youngest Doctor ever! Shocking!) nobody was supposed to challenge him intellectually. (And long before his make-up-based aging in his last episode, Smith got good at 'playing old')

I was hoping for TV's Frank.
Compare to "controversy" over New MST3K cast (or as I and nobody else calls it MST3K 3.0)

They missed one opportunity in not picking up Nicole Beharie after she quit Sleepy Hollow.

Still, only a year and a few months until we can stop blaming Steven Moffat for casting decisions and start blaming Chris Chibnall.

One more thing: I can't think of the new character's name without this song earworming me.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:28 PM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


or as I and nobody else calls it MST3K 3.0

That's because it would technically be Mystery Science Theater v3000.3

KTMA Years - v3000.0
Comedy Central Years - v3000.1
SciFi Channel Years - v3000.2
Kickstarter Year - v3000.3

/MST3K pedantry
posted by deadaluspark at 3:33 PM on April 23, 2016 [8 favorites]


"Noone can challenge the Doctor intellectually, no matter what gender."

Zoe? Liz? Romana I/II? Adric? Nyssa? K-9? Turlough (arguable)?

Yet another way the reboot is a regression…
posted by Pinback at 3:51 PM on April 23, 2016 [9 favorites]


Is she from the 80s?
posted by cazoo at 4:00 PM on April 23, 2016


A historian companion? Like Evelyn Smythe's character Maggie Stables in the Big Finish audios? (Spectre of Lanyon Moor is great, though she's also fun in her introductory episode The Marian Conspiracy.

Too late to hope for the return of Jamie, then, I guess.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 4:14 PM on April 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


Noone can challenge the Doctor intellectually, no matter what gender.

Depends on what you consider valuable intellect.
posted by FirstMateKate at 4:18 PM on April 23, 2016


Noone can challenge the Doctor intellectually

It's the Sherlock Holmes syndrome - how does one cast a decent Watson that won't overshadow the titular protagonist when the narrative revolves around investigation? At best, the partner can excel in areas where the main protagonist comes short, but intellect is not one of them. (At worst, the partner winds up as a trepanned exposition sponge.) Moreover, it's the role of the antagonist to challenge the protagonist on their strongest point.

Zoe? Liz? Romana I/II? Adric? Nyssa? K-9? Turlough (arguable)?

Leaving aside whether any of them truly challenged the Doctor intellectually, these don't tend to work out as long-time companions. Zoe sadly lasted one season and one serial before being put in her place by the Time Lords. Liz and Romana I didn't even last that long and left between seasons, Liz memorably having told the Brig that what the Doctor needed was someone to pass him his test tubes and to tell him how brilliant he was. (Romana II was a lot more attentive, so of course she lasted longer.) Tom Baker rightly hated K9 as a dramatic device, pointing out that if the Doctor is the most brilliant man in the universe, why does he need a talking metal dog? And Adric, Nyssa, and Turlough were a horrid bunch of spoiled brats—of course they thought they were smarter.

Anyroad, Bill looks fun.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:23 PM on April 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


Once I learned continuity/consistency was not really A Thing in Who, I felt comfortable in my decision to wait for a female Doctor to watch it again. It's not like I'm going to miss a shocking new development in Daleks that changes everything, at least not permanently.

"Doctor gets new attractive female companion"? Eh.

I wish the actor well, though, and hopes this puts her in the running for many lucrative future roles.
posted by emjaybee at 5:22 PM on April 23, 2016


Bill made me think of the students from Coal Hill School, which could mean that she is tied into the "Class" spin-off, or at least in the same timeframe as Danny and Clara. She looks 80s because, hey, current trends.

I suspect she will be the Companion who sticks around when Twelve regenerates into Thirteen, which I guess will happen during Chris Chibnall's first year as showrunner.

(Adric, Nyssa, and Turlough came along at the time when the Doctor was in something of an existential crisis, as the Fifth Doctor was beset by uncertainty, indecisiveness, and a growing realization that his particular outlook was one that his Universe opposed. Out of that group, only Nyssa earned something close to respect from Five for her knowledge; the rare times Five said something nice to either Adric or Turlough, it was as if teeth were being pulled. Out of all the "orphans" who traveled with Five at the beginning of his time, Nyssa's backstory was the most tragic, which was barely touched upon during her time in the TARDIS. Such a wasted opportunity, methinks.)
posted by stannate at 5:29 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Oh, look: a cheeky young woman as a companion and a Dalek. Good to see that Chibnall's taking the show to new places and keeping it fresh.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:30 PM on April 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


She's like Donna Smith + Martha Jones. Somehow I like her more than either one separately. Looks good.
posted by w0mbat at 5:35 PM on April 23, 2016


Oops, Moffat's doing this final 2017 series so my barb was mistargeted. Must be my wishful thinking that Moffat had already left. Maybe Chibnall will give us something genuinely new in a Doctor and therefore the combination with Bill will be more interesting.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:37 PM on April 23, 2016


sadly lasted one season and one serial before

Zoe left because they rebooted the show in colour with a whole new cast and production team so I don't if it is fair to complain that she had a short run because she was intelligent (9 serials isn't bad though - that's 50 episodes). Speaking of which... The early Pertwee writers really had no idea how to deal with Liz Shaw (frankly women in general). Not that they got any better until Sarah Jane. Lalla Ward, Romana II, was involved with Tom Baker at the time so I suspect she lasted longer for other reasons. I'll give you that Adric as a spoiled brat but Turlough was trying to kill the Doctor & a coward so I think those might be
mitigating factors. I beg to defer on Nyssa... she was certainly not a spoiled brat. In fact Peter Davison's Doctor often deferred to her on some matters. K9 was bad - no argument there.

which was barely touched upon during her time in the TARDIS. Such a wasted opportunity, methinks


Stannate, check out Nyssa's Big Finish stories. She's really well fleshed out there with some excellent stories.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:44 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Not that they got any better until Sarah Jane.

Wow. Jo wasn't anywhere near that bad.
posted by Mezentian at 6:02 PM on April 23, 2016


Should've been Jedward.

That way the Doctor and his enemies would find some common ground for once.
posted by delfin at 6:35 PM on April 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


Well, I am glad that it isn't another white female actor, but I do wish we could have done without the Doctor somewhat exasperatedly talking down to her as though she's an idiot. My husband just sighed heavily at me when I pointed that out, but honestly I've been watching this show as a kid so I just replied, "I am allowed to be frustrated!!"
posted by Kitteh at 6:50 PM on April 23, 2016


While in an ideal world I would have liked an older woman of color to be cast, I am really happy about Bill. I am even happier that she looks like she's from the past (because I was afraid that if they did cast a poc as a companion they would chicken out on doing the "companion out of time" thing they teased with Clara), and happiest yet to see the delighted reactions from people on twitter about how the new companion has hair like theirs, that they can cosplay easily as her, how much this representation matters to them, and so on and so forth.

Diversity is intersectional, and an actor's casting can be progressive on one axis while not doing so on another. While it's important to point out those gaps, that doesn't make the steps forward that have been taken not "real" diversity. I feel pretty uncomfortable at the readiness with which people here are dismissing what a young, black, female actress could bring to her role -- and to the hearts of viewers of the show who haven't seen anyone like them represented in the series since 2006 -- based on a two-minute trailer and her physical appearance.
posted by bettafish at 7:08 PM on April 23, 2016 [16 favorites]


You people are so focused on race and gender, you're missing the main point based on this (frankly flat) two-minute-long clip/introductory video:

Damned Gold Daleks again!

Bring back the Skittles Daleks! Damn you, Moffat!

Why does Moffat hate Daleks of Colour?

Chibnall would do it better!

[In all seriousness, is this a clip from the Xmas Special? Because it feels too constructed and arch to be a real scene from a full episode.

I was hoping for Clyde and Rani or Maggie Staples on the TARDIS, but I have no real reaction to Pearl/Bill at all - positive or negative.]
posted by Mezentian at 7:31 PM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I am totally 100% This Must Absolutely Happen up for and in favour of a female Doctor Who.

There are so many excellent actors who could do so much with that role: eg - I know this list has been done before many times, but here's another go at it, fwiw - Tilda Swinton, Jenna Coleman, Abbie Cornish, Meera Syal, Floella Benjamin etc.

And all quite apart from the fact that Floella Benjamin is quite clearly the actual real life Doctor Who anyway.

But let Peter Capaldi get a run at some decent scripts first for heaven's sake.
posted by motty at 8:16 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Too bad Patrick Stewart never got a chance to play the Dr.
posted by Beholder at 8:38 PM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


She's giving me hardcore Ace vibes, and I like that. I like that she seems to be from the '80s. I like that she's a WOC. I think Missy was a way to introduce a female Doctor in the future, and I look forward to her having a male companion. It would be interesting to see a male companion on his own (not Mickey or Rory, say) but I don't want that at the expense of a female name in the credits each week.
posted by Ruki at 8:47 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Well, 2 minutes in and I already like her better than I like him! So this might be a really good season.
posted by jbickers at 9:50 PM on April 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


every NuWho companion so far has been some combination of bff/protege/love interest.

My favourite companion is Sarah Jane Smith, and my second is Romana, so this dynamic works for me. Or is Romana my fave? Obviously I should spend the rest of the weekend working on some sort of companions league table.

On the other hand, if they were to cast an older woman of colour... TAKE MY CV MOFFAT I AM VERY GOOD AT RUNNING WHILE BANTERING.
posted by betweenthebars at 10:32 PM on April 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


he's giving me hardcore Ace vibes,

I guess it's the random slogan on the stone wash jacket.

Ace had pep, explosives, and multiple logos, and she was from the 1970s.

I can see the vibes, but 'hardcore' vibes?

and my second is Romana, so this dynamic works for me. Or is Romana my fave?

Which Romana?

I AM VERY GOOD AT RUNNING WHILE BANTERING.

But can you act? Not that acting has, traditionally, been a bar to appearing on the telly.
posted by Mezentian at 11:55 PM on April 23, 2016


But can you act?

I can go from (^_^)/ to (゜.゜) to (:_;) very quickly. Happy to confused to a single tear because I am sad and brave, that's three whole expressions, which is more than enough for Who.
posted by betweenthebars at 1:04 AM on April 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


Did anyone else think the script felt like a piece used in the auditions process which they'd decided to film as this introduction? That might account for the Prove Your Bantering Skills feel.

I didn't get any originating in the '80s sense of the character, but that would be cool if she wasn't from now. I read the Doctor's Future/2017 line as "Don't forget that's when the show's back Whofans, and also you're not in the Christmas Special, Bill, except because tweeest you will be. Moffy Christmas!"

I'm assuming that Bill is short for Whilemina which is giving me all the Malory Towers flashbacks. In fact if one of next series' stories isn't a weird Paradise Towers mashup/sequel involving walking a colicky robot horse around The Red Kangs School For Girls I'm never watching Who again. Never!
posted by comealongpole at 1:45 AM on April 24, 2016


#Yourehired

Sadly, I am not show runner.
Because I have 10 stories plotted.
They may involve Draconians.
posted by Mezentian at 1:48 AM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


In fact if one of next series' stories isn't a weird Paradise Towers mashup/sequel involving walking a colicky robot horse around The Red Kangs School For Girls I'm never watching Who again. Never!

So, you're a hardcore fan then?
posted by Mezentian at 3:15 AM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


also you're not in the Christmas Special, Bill

I just assumed she was, since we've already had the Xmas Special with River. Why would Bill not be in this Xmas special?

I really hope she's from the 80s, because while I like her, there's nothing in this two minutes that really jumped out at me.
posted by crossoverman at 3:31 AM on April 24, 2016


Why would Bill not be in this Xmas special?

Maybe we could finally get a male companion? :)

It being Christmas, I could see them going with a comedian/temp.companion, and it making sense, and going all Smith And Jones/Partners In Crime with The Bill.
posted by Mezentian at 3:55 AM on April 24, 2016


Why would Bill not be in this Xmas special?

Work schedules. Filming of the Christmas special is expected to start very soon and Mackie won't be available until June.

(as an aside you know you've followed the show too closely when you've figured out the BBC's pattern for making casting announcements.)
posted by plastic_animals at 4:26 AM on April 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


I believe the Xmas special started shooting a few weeks ago.
posted by Mezentian at 5:43 AM on April 24, 2016


She instantly irritated me, which I believe means I am now a true Who fan, bitching mightily at a two minute clip.

I love the diverse casting, I am hopeful she's from the eighties, but I would give my left arm for a companion that isn't a young woman. (I'd give my right for Capaldi to get good scripts and storylines and I can only desperately hope he outlasts Moffat.)
posted by kalimac at 6:36 AM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


A female Doctor? I don't think that's possible.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:19 AM on April 24, 2016


That'd be like having a ginger Doctor.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 8:16 AM on April 24, 2016


Is that a Prince t shirt?

Pretty sure it is. That's the art from the interior record sleeve to Purple Rain.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:42 AM on April 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Someone upthread mentioned how great it would be if a Companion were a historian.

Now I reaaaaaalllllly want to step into the alternate universe where Mary Beard is the nu Who companion.

That would be special.
posted by Faintdreams at 10:03 AM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


And now I'm back to wanting a historian as a companion.

One need not want. Dr. Evelyn Smythe is at your service.
posted by sonascope at 11:04 AM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


I think it's weird that all of you are all like "If we get a female Doctor, we could finally have a male companion!" There is no necessity for them to come in binary pairs.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:28 PM on April 24, 2016 [6 favorites]


Ace had pep, explosives, and multiple logos, and she was from the 1970s.


What? No. Ace was born in 1970 and joined the Doctor in 1987. I mean, I guess she was "from the 70s" in the same sense that I'm from the seventies, but she was a teen in the 80s, and that's her "home" time period.
posted by wintersweet at 12:28 PM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


One need not want.

Barbara Wright was a history teacher.

A history teacher who wanted to change history, even if that meant jeopardizing her chance to ever return to her own time.

Now that's a companion character.

As for Bill, chalk me up as cautiously optimistic. The clip was fun -- Moffat's two-minute mini-episodes usually are -- and while Bill could easily be from the present day, they gave her just enough signifiers (including the Doctor saying "back to the future") to make it seem possible that she'll be from the '80s, as many noted above. I'd love it if she was; it'd add some juice to eps set in the present, since it'd be an alien future time to her. People above were getting Ace vibes; if they took her character in that direction, I'd be very happy.
posted by brianrobot at 12:28 PM on April 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


There is no necessity for them to come in binary pairs.

True, but I'd really rather it wasn't two dudes in the TARDIS.
posted by crossoverman at 2:49 PM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


All these dilemmas would be easily resolved if they just gave the Tardis the requisite crew of six, which would allow for an awful lot of diversity.
posted by sonascope at 3:03 PM on April 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


NuWho formalising the companion as singular and female and probably of Deep Signifucancd would be a nice thing to get away from.
posted by Artw at 3:20 PM on April 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


See also the season arc with EVER RISING STAKES.
posted by Artw at 3:23 PM on April 24, 2016


What? No. Ace was born in 1970 and joined the Doctor in 1987

Damn typo.

A female Doctor? I don't think that's possible.

Sadly, it is.
posted by Mezentian at 3:44 PM on April 24, 2016


I'm totally on board with multiple, unrelated companions. I just don't want two dudes in the Tardis.

As for my Ace vibes, Bill shows no fear towards the Daleks and mocks them instead. It's more the attitude rather than a literal knapsack of explosives. She's curious, but not afraid. NuWho companions tend toward literal handholding, so I like that she irreverently points out that the Daleks are ridiculous looking creatures with plungers on, instead of freaking out because aliens. Ace, IIRC, was familiar with aliens, yeah, so tended to be more blasé about them.
posted by Ruki at 3:52 PM on April 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Okay, that is uncanny.
posted by Mezentian at 3:55 PM on April 24, 2016


I think it's weird that all of you are all like "If we get a female Doctor, we could finally have a male companion!" There is no necessity for them to come in binary pairs.

Yeah, I wouldn't object to a male companion for a female Doctor, depending on how it's done, but I don't think either new or old Who is lacking in male companions and I don't get how we went from talking about a woman of color cast in a breakout role to how we need more dudes on the TARDIS?

Pearl Mackie can’t wait to see more Doctor Who cosplayers ‘with afros’ after landing companion role

Okay, that is uncanny.

Whoa, nice.
Titan Comics is doing really solid work with their Doctor Who titles -- I haven't read them all, but for the record, if you're feeling the draught right now you could do a lot worse than pick up Titan's Tenth and Eleventh Doctor titles. Alice Obiefune, Eleven's new companion, is a character I think a lot of people here would like -- definitively adult, somewhat short-tempered librarian's assistant whose sidekick companions are a shapeshifting robot and Not David Bowie.
posted by bettafish at 4:18 PM on April 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Mefites seem to really want a female Doctor. I don't think it is a terrible idea but I'd caution that there is very little in NuWho's last 10 years that makes me think they will be able to handle in anyway that it won't be a gimmick. The closest 2 instances to a female Doctor we've had were Donna and River Song, both started promising but were mishandled. Frankly, I don't care too much who is in the Tardis as long as it isn't infantile, boring or overly deja vu. I'd love to see some greater complexity in the scripts but I think the show has always been a bit schizophrenic about who exactly the audience is for the show which leads to its uneven quality. Is it a children's show, a family show, a show for fans or a show to fill a specific time slot to retain an audience? Or something else entirely?

The real changes I'd like to see are more about the quality of the production and behind-the-scenes technical work. Early Who was like an avant-garde film. Current NuWho production is pretty "safe" to put it mildly. I'd love to see a new production team actually push the limits of the concept. Top of the list for me is a complete overhaul of the music - wall to wall Murray Gold has gotta go. He's truly exhausting. A great director and production team can easily elevate a lackluster script or a one dimensional character.
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:30 PM on April 24, 2016


This is why we need a change of showrunner. Which we are getting. And I know people like to complain about Chibnall, too. But I think a change in showrunner might be the exact right time for a female Doctor. And since Chibnall's already worked with her on Broadchurch, let's make it Olivia Colman.

Case closed.
posted by crossoverman at 4:36 PM on April 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


Mefites seem to really want a female Doctor.

Not just here. There is a sense of entitlement that there MUST be a female Doctor, and anything short of that is misogyny.

Obviously, I sit on a different side of the argument, but I'm hardly going to quit watching the show if they decide to go in that direction.

The closest 2 instances to a female Doctor we've had were Donna and River Song, both started promising but were mishandled

Suranne Jones was, for me, the most Doctory non-Doctor.

but I think the show has always been a bit schizophrenic about who exactly the audience is for the show which leads to its uneven quality. Is it a children's show, a family show, a show for fans or a show to fill a specific time slot to retain an audience?

It's a family show, and pretty much always has been. It's just that's a broach church.
posted by Mezentian at 5:29 PM on April 24, 2016


One of the things Moffat has done during his tenure is methodically, if slowly, develop the idea that the race and gender of a Time Lord can change through regeneration and that changing is a perfectly normal thing to have happen.

In his first scene Eleven touches his adam's apple immediately after regenerating to check if he is male or female. In series 6 we get a remark about how the Corsair has been both male and female. Those two instance are played as jokes but the latter is soon followed by Mels regenerating into River.

Skip the disjointed 7th series and we learn that the Master has had an off-screen regeneration into Missy. Finally, in the latest series we see an on-screen regeneration in Hell Bent where the old, white, male general regenerates into a younger, black, woman.

Obviously none of that is nearly as significant as having the Doctor himself regenerate into a non-white, non-male person, but Moffat has slowly laid the groundwork for that to happen.
posted by plastic_animals at 5:33 PM on April 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


Female Doctor

I'd be all for Suranne Jones being a female Doctor as the show has a precedence for having previous guest stars reappearing in other roles including that of the Doctor. I don't feel strongly about a female Doctor one way or the other - it is all about how it is handled. You're right to point out that Moffat has done his best to make it at least plausible. People hate on him so much but he's laying the groundwork for Doctor Who to continue into the future and he deserves a degree of respect for it. Regardless, a female Doctor "working" is all about the scripts. It needs to be something other than an extended gag, like say the flatulent, overweight aliens given to us by another Who showrunner.

It's a family show

I would disagree with that. Especially NuWho. There's times where it seems to be a family show (meaning that it has a broad appeal to all members of the family - its original mandate) and at other times... something else. I'd rather not pick apart the series with examples of this but I do think that inability to figure that core aspect of the show leads to uneven scripts, performances and direction. Its something all the showrunners wrestle with whether it's Barry Letts during Pertwee's run or Chibnall. Again just my perception.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:53 PM on April 24, 2016


I am a literal card carrying feminist, but I don't much care about having a female Doctor. I do think Moffat has certainly paved the way for it, though. And I think that's a good thing. I don't think Moffat is as much of a sexist as the internet makes him out to be. It's just that he makes his female characters in the template of Sue and Beryl Vertue. He's writing what he knows. It was helpful for me to think of Amy and Clara, and I think Missy, as Susan from Coupling. I think they were stronger characters than Rose and Martha, who existed solely as heart eyed Mary Sue inserts. (Donna Noble, my Queen, was an anomaly, but Rusty had to be convinced to bring her back, and he managed to destroy her entire character arc.)

Personally, I'm on the Idris Elba bandwagon for the next Doctor. Suranne Jones would also make me happy though, because it makes so much sense in terms of revisiting a face.
posted by Ruki at 6:33 PM on April 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


I don't think Moffat is particularly sexist, at least not in the typical/expected sense. He's just as terrible when it comes to men as well as women.

I do think he has some very confused (at best) beliefs about the roles of each. For example, almost without exception, he writes mostly capable women who also need to nurture and occasionally be protected. Conversely, again almost without exception, he writes mostly men who also need to be nurtured and given the chance to protect.

And, if you are familiar with his screenwriting history - or, honestly, just NuWho - you might also come to the conclusion that the worst thing he can imagine for a woman is to be denied the chance to nurture and not need protecting; and for a man is to be denied nurture and not be able to protect…
posted by Pinback at 8:23 PM on April 24, 2016


I think it's because I'm familiar with his past work, and because his life parallels my own, that I'm willing to give him a pass. I am a mostly capable woman who needs to nurture and occasionally be protected. And my husband needs to be nurtured and also feels the need to protect. It's not perfect, but it's also accurate. Coupling, in particular, reflected my personal reality in a way that no other show had done since Roseanne when I was a kid in an imperfect working class family. I think Moffat accidentally tapped into something very real. I think it's more accurate than the US trope of buffoonish fat husband and hot, hyper-competent wife. I do the bulk of the emotional labor in my relationship, and my husband feels a duty to be the breadwinner and keep me and our daughter safe. Confused or not, it still feels good to your life represented.
posted by Ruki at 8:52 PM on April 24, 2016


Sorry; to be a little clearer: that's all he writes. That's about as deep / meaningful / complex as he gets - a couple of stereotypes that cycle & recycle, continuously pivoting around the couple of shared "the need to" / "the need to be" points. Only the setting changes.

There's not even much exploring or boundary-bumping of the relationships / motivations (which is something sitcoms like Rosanne did fairly well), or even character development (outside of becoming more & more stereotyped). It just rolls along, episode after episode in front of different scenery, sticking to the centreline - until, in the need to set up the ultimate of dramatic / melancholic endings, everything else can be thrown out the window in service of one of the couple of core character traits.

Which is great 'cookies & ice-cream' comfort TV for those that it resonates with (and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that; I have a couple myself) - but it's terribly lazy writing that quickly loses interest for everyone else.
posted by Pinback at 9:42 PM on April 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


There is a sense of entitlement that there MUST be a female Doctor, and anything short of that is misogyny.

I absolutely agree that fandom can feel entitled too often, but I really don't think wanting creators to think about diversity is a problem or a particularly strong example of fannish entitlement.

I actually don't think I've heard anyone argue that not doing it is misogyny. I think being closed off to the idea is a bit old-fashioned and wrong-headedly sexist, though.
posted by crossoverman at 1:22 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]


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