Doctor Who turns Female

Doctor Who, one of the most popular series in the history of television programs has continued to rip apart the Space-Time continuum for more than 50 years now. Although the 13th Regeneration of the Doctor has created a history of its own as for the first time ever in the Doctor Who series, the protagonist is a female. This change is not simply limited to the creative process of this series but it will also have wide-spread effects on the casting of other nerdy and geeky series of the Sci-Fi genre. Maybe we are at such a point of social change wherein we shall be seeing more female-centric sci-fi and fantasy series henceforth.

Female Protagonist Saves the Day: –

It should be noted that during the 60’s the female characters in Doctor Who, mostly the doctor’s companions, were often presented as the weaker gender. They were always in need of male protection; either from the Doctor himself of from other male characters. This fact seemed especially ironic to me as the show was itself first produced by a strong and independent woman named ‘Verity Lambert’.

When the show was renewed in 2005 the actresses, unlike their predecessors, were lucky enough to play the characters of slightly substantial and self-reliant human companions of The Doctor. Yet, they still were shown to be in need of The Doctor’s assistance to get them out of serious trouble. ‘Jodie Whitaker’, the actress who will play the 13^th Doctor, shall be the first female on the show who will get to save the day herself.

The New Companions: –

Recent updates by B.B.C. have uncovered certain rather interesting facts. For one, Whitaker will be accompanied by three human companions, of which two shall be males and one will be a female. Further, the casting of these companions seems to have been made to present the attitude of the cultural diversity of the B.B.C. A delight for us Indians is that we shall be seeing Mandip Gill, a British actress of the Indian origin, as the female Doctor Who companion.

‘Will the whole power structure shift to the female side with the 13^th Doctor being a female or will it be balanced out in the spirit of true feminism?’ That is one of the numerous questions which shall be answered in the 11^th Season of the Doctor Who, scheduled to Air around late November of this (2018) year.