New ‘Doctor Who’ Showrunner Made A Female Doctor A “Condition” Of His Hiring

The upcoming 11th “series” of the rebooted “Doctor Who” has a much larger focus on it than previous series have had. Not only is this the introduction of yet another actor taking the role of the Doctor. This time, for the first time in the almost-six decades of history of ‘Who,’ the lead character is played by a female, in this case, Jodie Whittaker. And in a new interview with Digital Spy, we find out that this was not a difficult decision for the producers at all. In fact, it was a requirement.

In addition to the gender swap, there’s a showrunner swap that occurred between seasons of “Doctor Who.” Incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall now holds the reins of this massive sci-fi franchise, and part of his coming on to the series was that the Doctor would become female.

READ MORE: ‘Doctor Who’ Season 11 SDCC Trailer: Here’s Your First Taste Of Jodie Whittaker As The New Female Doctor

Executive producer Matt Strevens said, “We knew in our gut it was about time and it felt like the right decision, and the character is not gender-specific, in any way really. If ever there was a character that was never defined by gender, it’s the Doctor. The Doctor is gender fluid in that sense.”

He continued, “Once Peter [Capaldi] had decided he was leaving, the next Doctor was always going to be a female Doctor. That’s what Chris wanted, that was part of his conditions of doing the job.”

Chibnall explains why he always wanted a female Doctor, saying, “It felt like a straightforward decision, it’s not that controversial. It’s very hard to think of many examples in its 55-year history where the Doctor takes a decision based upon gender.”

To say that there are high expectations surrounding this new version of “Doctor Who” is an understatement. Fans seem to be split over the idea of a female Doctor. There’s the vocal minority that feels that this changes the very fabric of the series. However, on the other side, fans seem to agree with Chibnall that a female version of the character is perfectly in line with the history of the franchise, even though its never happened previously.

Either way, all eyes are going to be on “Doctor Who” when it debuts October 7 on BBCOne.