When Tom Baker decided he was tired of wearing a long scarf and eating jelly babies, rumors spread that his replacement might be a woman. Baker fueled those speculations with the following comment:: “Well, you’re making an assumption that it’s going to be a man.” Years later, speculation was fueled when Helen Mirren, after shooting down rumors she would be piloting the Tardis, went on the record with that following bold statement:
“I’m not going to be the first female Doctor Who – no, no, no,” she said. “I absolutely wouldn’t contemplate that.”
“I do think it’s well over-time to have a female Doctor Who. I think a gay, black female Doctor Who would be the best of all.”
In the end, it was indeed a man and that would remain the case until 2017…the next Doctor will be a woman.
I am thrilled to hear this. While the series has been consistent in it’s quality, it is well past time to break boundaries. Male/female, white/non-white…the series is now taking a big step in acknowledging the changes in society.
Upon hearing this news, it made me think about the rumors that had Idris Elba ordering a shaken, not stirred martini. While that idea delights me, I can’t help but think that the U.S. Is years behind the U.K. When it come to how we view iconic figures. This change is a huge one, one that goes well beyond that Sci-fi genre and, quite frankly, is long overdue.
