Doctor Who

[MowDownJoe]

So........ Hugh Laurie?

I'd dig House Doctor as 12. I don't think he's doing anything major nowadays, anyway.

[Lord Hosk]

So........ Hugh Laurie?

I'd dig House Doctor as 12. I don't think he's doing anything major nowadays, anyway.

unless you call rolling around in his massive piles of money to dry off after taking a swim in his money vault "not doing anything major"

[Ptangmatik]

Have you not heard his 2 albums? They're pretty sweet

[Keab42]

Two albums? *heads over to Amazon to buy the second*

[MattAn]

Go read about how Donald Glover got treated when he made a video trying to get an audition to play Spiderman. Go ahead. Read the comments. They're lovely. And by lovely I mean vomit-inducing. Listen to the shit messages Donald Glover got. And this is Donald Glover. Nerds LOVE Community, right??? And this was for having the audacity to want an audition. He wasn't asking for the part. He was asking for the CHANCE to play the part.

Then try to convince me that the exact same bullshit wouldn't happen if a woman tried to audition for the part of The Doctor.

I literally stopped reading your post as soon as you mentioned Internet comments.
Nobody listens to or remotely cares about Internet comments. At all. Anyone that does is an absolute moron. Nobody bothers with YouTube comments. Trolls will be trolls. Anonymity does crazy things to people, dude. There's a reason why Google Chrome has extensions that turn all YouTube comments into literal "herp derp derp herp derp" unless you click directly on them. And another extension that places a giant white block with a yellow/black warning sign over literally every instance of the word "comments" on the entirety of the Internet... Unless you click on it to remove it.
You really need to try this "ignoring the Internet" thing. I paid way too much attention to Internet commenters in the past and got into many petty arguments. Even with friends. Ever since I was recommended these Google Chrome extensions, I have not gone back. I honestly could not give a single fuck what the Internet thinks. The Internet is horrible.

I also know very well about the Donald Glover Spiderman thing. I was one of the many supporters. Nobody gave a shit what the racist arseholes thought. It's called ignoring them. They clearly don't know any better. Don't give them the satisfaction of noticing them.

Anyway. Ptangmatik speaks truth. Hugh Laurie's Blues/Jazz albums are all kinds of fucking amazing. I only recently noticed his latest one pop up on iTunes. Tiniest piano ever on the album cover. Or really tall man. Either way, Hugh Laurie for Doctor Who very yes.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

Only thing that stops The Doctor being a woman in the future is the fact that Riversong refers to him as a man. And we assume she's seen his future versions as well (she has a spotter's guide).

[Lord Hosk]

river is also very opposed to spoilers, and that would be a biggy.

[MattAn]

Only thing that stops The Doctor being a woman in the future is the fact that Riversong refers to him as a man. And we assume she's seen his future versions as well (she has a spotter's guide).

Good point. I mean, this always happens. In recent years anyway, due to the growing civil movements.. But people don't seem to actually think about anything but "IT HAS TO HAPPEN BECAUSE EQUALITY". No. No it doesn't. It's a very extreme conclusion people immediately jump to, without even considering context.

Unless there is a solid, not-at-all-forced, logical reason (yes, logical, in a show about time travel and aliens and a British phone booth that is really a giant spaceship) for it.. Like.. y'know, Gallifrey/Trenzalore citizens are actually asexual and can change gender whenever they regenerate just because lol.. Surely there are already female citizens of Gallifrey/Trenzalore. The show follows only one of those people.

[PlasmaCow]

true equality (which a lot of people tend to forget when arguing there aren't enough women in X position/industry/field) isn't "the doctor has to be a woman next time round", it's "it doesn't matter either way because everyone's treated the same no matter what"

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

I haven't watched much of the old series. Are there any aspects to The Doctor's character which is explicitly belonging to a person in possession of a penis?

A side note. Timelords could have a third/fourth/fifth gender.

Humans are stuck with 2 genders due to their X and Y chromosomes. A YY human is impossible as a ovum only carries X chromosomes. Thus you need to make a Sperm to form an embryo which is impossible by itself.

Other species of animals suck as fish or molluscs have their gender changed. A species of fish can change sex if a certain sex is dominant (ensures healthy number of breeding partners).
There's a mollusc where the males fight each other with their dongs. The loser's dong gets spliced and mutilated, forming a vagina of sorts. The victor then mates with the loser who is now a female.

It's naive to think of timelords as 'males' and 'females'. You see with Captain Jack, when humans spread across the stars, humanity's sexuality became a lot more liberal because they wanted experience sexually with things that didn't fit the mould of 'human man/woman'.

We see the Doctor as a man because we refer to human males.
-
Basically, from a scientific opinion The Doctor probably doesn't have a sex like humans do. So he can be a woman character-wise without conflicting his established character.

What might be a problem is shitty writing for a Doctor with a human-female form.

At the end of the day The Doctor is an alien.

[MattAn]

It's naive to think of timelords as 'males' and 'females'. You see with Captain Jack, when humans spread across the stars, humanity's sexuality became a lot more liberal because they wanted experience sexually with things that didn't fit the mould of 'human man/woman'.
What might be a problem is shitty writing for a Doctor with a human-female form.
At the end of the day The Doctor is an alien.

It isn't naive if the history of the show's lore explains Gallifrey citizens. Yes, "The Doctor" is literally just "The Doctor". There's no gender "assigned" to "it". Every time I've seen bits of the show, I've only seen the terms "I'm" The Doctor or, "It's" The Doctor. Unless I'm mistaken and any character has specifically said "He's" The Doctor.

But everything else is irrelevant. The show has been running for years. You can't just up and change something and not provide context or logical explanation for it. If/When there is a female Doctor (different race of male is in no way out of the question), if The Doctor is in fact 'male', there's no reason why 'he' can't look Asian, African, Hispanic.. Whichever.

I am NOT saying it is wholly impossible for The Doctor to be female. No one misquote me, because I've definitely never said such a thing. All I'm saying is it shouldn't be forced in the name of equality. Within the show's overarching lore, it needs to be explained reasonably.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

I agree with you.

The lore of timelords is weak in new show as it is. I'm someone who doesn't think the viewer is stupid. But when you have The Doctor 'change gender' then the audience needs to be treated dumb.

Casting a female doctor for balance is as sexist as forbidding women from ever being the doctor. Also probably patronising for women as well.

I never quoted you btw.

I'm enjoying discussing this subject on these forums as there's rarely people who are BLACK or WHITE. We embrace the grey murk of intellectual discussion.

[MattAn]

I agree.
The lore of timelords is weak in new show as it is.

Casting a female doctor for balance is as sexist is forbidding women from ever being the doctor.

I never quoted you btw.

Wasn't referring specifically to you, just in general.
And.. Respectfully disagree, I guess. Certain people are going to like/dislike different things, doesn't make it wrong, but no one's forcing you to do anything opposite.

The fact is, the people who are campaigning for a female Doctor are.. Kind of doing it for the sole purpose of "It just should be! Fuck context!" It's a major change, even though specific genders being equal or irrelevant to society (humans are humans, gender doesn't matter, etc) is absolutely true, it would still change a lot of what the show is, much like having a non-British person playing the role.

As far as Companions are concerned, there's literally no reason whatsoever why they have to be female or whatever, considering, well.. Rory Williams is a dude. It has everything to do with The Doctor as a character, the gender relies almost solely on that.

Knowing how there's often special episodes with different iterations of The Doctor in the same scene (Ten/Eleven coming up, Ten/Five, etc..), an episode where a previous Doctor meets "The Doctor" as a female or different race.. It'd be interesting. According to info about "Time Lords", "Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old Time Lord alien from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in his TARDIS, frequently with companions. Because he is a Time Lord, when the Doctor is critically injured, he can regenerate his body; in doing so, his physical appearance and personality change."

So.. It does say "he".. But that doesn't solidify any fact. There's nothing to say there isn't exactly any female "Time Lady"'s.. Unless there has been?
I just really don't think something like that should be forced. If it's about a dude, then it's about a dude. Nothing stopping there being other shows starring a lead female..

Ninja Edit on Your Ninja Edit: I do like to think so too! Well.. There are exceptions, it seems. But it mostly seems okay here. Especially better than other forums.. Ugh.

[tbug]

Romana was called both a "Time Lady" and a "Time Lord". Anyone remember what The Rani was called?

The show has specifically said that Time Lords can regenerate to either male or female. In a spin-off, The Doctor said that he could be any colour when he regenerated, but he may have been lying (or, more likely, speaking generally of Time Lords more skilled than himself). When Romana was regenerating she was able to sample other forms before deciding on one, and at least one of those forms was alien. There's lots of scope for how much can change from one Doctor to the next.

What I'd like to see is an unrestricted, open casting call, and then the show runners choose the person they like the best.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

Doctorwhotv Blog is awful since its: comment system off articles and a 'vote up and vote down' system.

Safe to say: Blind "DOCTOR WILL MUST NEVER HAVE A PENIS" has like 56+ and 0-

and "I think the Doctor could be a woman" has +9 and -18.

It sends a message that the users of that blog could be perceived as biggots. Since no one elaborates why they disagree the next doctor is a woman.

Agree with TBug.
And I think the next Doctor should be played only by a Welsh person since the show is made in Wales. Ye'know. Keeping it in the film-of-origin (mocking the people against an overseas actorperson.

[PlasmaCow]

So.. It does say "he".. But that doesn't solidify any fact. There's nothing to say there isn't exactly any female "Time Lady"'s.. Unless there has been?
I just really don't think something like that should be forced. If it's about a dude, then it's about a dude. Nothing stopping there being other shows starring a lead female..

Not sure if I'm mis-interpreting what you're saying here, but there have been several "female" Time Lords in classic Who, and then there's also The Corsair, who we've been told in both old and new Who has been both sexes in different regenerations.

I would theorise then that Time Lords have free choice at time of regeneration, provided they've some control/awareness over the situation. For example I imagine McCoy having died on the operating table would've been too far gone to have exerted any control over regenerating into McGann, whereas Tennant was compus-mentus regenerating into Smith. Plus 2nd River Song was "concentrating on a dress size" as she turned into Kingston.

Presumably they have to be born one sex or the other, certainly there's been mention of the Master (and I think the Doctor as well) as a young boy.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

Presumably they have to be born one sex or the other, certainly there's been mention of the Master (and I think the Doctor as well) as a young boy.

River was born a girl as well. Otherwise Melody Pond would have been called... well... due to the time-paradox of Melody's name, anything really.

[PlasmaCow]

River Song probably complicates things as she's a human conceived in the time vortex by two human time travellers rather than being a "true" Timelord, I'd say at birth she could only possibly have been one of the two human sexes, then is probably by default restricted to that sex from then on due to her Human limitations... or something.

[Keab42]

I think that all speculation aside, they will cast whoever is right for the part.

[Lord Hosk]

I disagree they cast Matt Smith didnt they?

[MattAn]

I disagree they cast Matt Smith. :0

Your point? Matt Smith is fucking awesome.

Exhibit A; BOWLING with Wil Wheaton

[tak197]

I disagree they cast Matt Smith didnt they?

[RoyalBlue]

Anything after Tennant would be viewed in a negative light but Matt smith defiantly did a great job. He was undeniably memorable, even if you don't like him.
I never got why we try to guess who the next doctor is, it's never a well known actor. (Recently can't speak for old who).

[Geoff_B]

It isn't naive if the history of the show's lore explains Gallifrey citizens. Yes, "The Doctor" is literally just "The Doctor". There's no gender "assigned" to "it". Every time I've seen bits of the show, I've only seen the terms "I'm" The Doctor or, "It's" The Doctor. Unless I'm mistaken and any character has specifically said "He's" The Doctor.

Tegan: "Who are you?"

First Doctor: "More to the point, what are you young people doing in MY TARDIS?"

Tegan: "It's his TARDIS!"

First Doctor: "And who's he?"

Turlough: "The Doctor."

First Doctor: "Hmm? Good grief!"

And later on:

Susan: "Is he really..."

First Doctor: "Me? Yes. Yes, I'm afraid so."

And I'm sure he refers to Fifth as "young man" on a couple of occasions as well.

- The Five Doctors

[Sieg Reyu]

Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor. He did a very good job of playing someone much older than he looked. Tennant's and Eccleston's personality very much fit the body they had, but Smith did a great job of not being himself at all. I think it was the first time since I started watching the show that I actually believed that The Doctor was hundreds of years old. But this was overlooked simply because he wasn't as charming as Tennant.