‘Doctor Who’ is a science fiction show that has been running for almost 60 years. It follows the story of ‘The Doctor’ and their companion as they time travel. The character of ‘The Doctor’ has been played by many different actors like David Tennant and Matt Smith playing roles as the 10th and 11th incarnations of the character.
Throughout most of the series, the character of the doctor has been played by a male actor. However, in 2017, the doctor was played by the female actress Jodie Whittaker, making her the first woman to play the protagonist. This decision divided the audience as some were excited and some were annoyed by the casting choice.
Many girls and women alike were ecstatic to see the role of a mostly male character finally being played by a woman. Young girls were shown to be celebrating the fact that this role was being played by a woman for the first time ever in the series. Author David Owen’s made a tweet stating that: “My 8-year-old daughter pumped her fist and shouted “yes!” when the new @bbcdoctorwho was revealed. Think that tells you all you need to know.” In addition, the introduction of a female doctor made people who had never even watched the show want to watch it, with one Twitter user stating that: “I don’t even watch #DrWho & this made me choke up a little. I will def be tuning in”. This influx of positive reactions from people clearly shows how important female role models are in television, not only to young girls, but women too.
However, despite the positive reactions, not every was excited for the introduction of the new face to the iconic role of ‘The Doctor’. Some people took to Twitter to say that they won’t be watching the show again. Some fans of the show believed that the casting of Jodie Whittaker was attempting to be ‘politically correct’ and one Facebook user described the casting as an attempt to “please the PC brigade” and an “attempt to meet some quota”. Furthermore, one user posted that the casting of Jodie Whittaker had brought their Doctor Who “history and memories to an abrupt end.” In response to the backlash caused by her casting, Jodie Whittaker told fans to not be scared by her gender and that change is exciting.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40626224.amp (source)