Whovians across the globe are gearing up to see Jodie Whittaker take her historic turn as the first female incarnation of the famous Doctor! ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner Chris Chibnall has acknowledged the iconic moment, saying it would “daft” not to acknowledge the issue of gender in the upcoming season.
When the announcement came last year that the 12th Doctor would be played by a woman, fans were intrigued, and some critics were wary. After all, the show has been on the air in some form for 55 years, and change can sometimes be scary!
Chibnall gave a recent interview explaining that the Doctor’s gender doesn’t completely define the character, but it will not be ignored in the upcoming season. He said:
“I think it’d be daft not to acknowledge it. We’re not going to go through going, ‘She’s still a man!’ There are times when you can have fun with it. [But] it’s not a central preoccupation of the series. If we were to go into history, for example, you might find that things play out differently.”
It has been rumored that in this new season of ‘Doctor Who,’ the Doctor and her companions will travel to at least three different periods in history, including the civil rights movement in 1950s America. Whittaker could be facing more than just gender issues when she lands the Tardis.
Whittaker has stated that the Doctor’s gender change will not be glossed over in her season, saying:
“In regards to the Doctor regenerating into a new body, it’s acknowledged because it’s always acknowledged. That’s not necessarily anything to do with the gender that the Doctor has landed in before. But the change of body has always been something to be commented on.”
The new season of ‘Doctor Who’ will premiere on BBC on Sunday, October 7th!
