Doctor Who Almost Cast a Female Doctor 31 Years Before Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker became the first female actor to play the titular Time Lord in Doctor Who in 2017, but she almost wasn’t the first, as several women were considered for the role of the Doctor 31 years prior. Whittaker was revealed to be replacing Peter Capaldi as the Doctor ahead of his and showrunner Steven Moffat’s departure from the long-running BBC series in 2017. Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor was the first on-screen female incarnation of the face-changing time-traveler, but several high-profile women had been considered for the role before her.

It’s somewhat surprising that it took Doctor Who over 50 years to cast a female incarnation of the Doctor, but the series has been making up for it in recent years by implanting several female iterations into the Doctor’s secret history. While the reveal of the Timeless Child might have made the Doctor female many times in the past, Whittaker was still the first on-screen iteration, but this almost wasn’t the case. In fact, Doctor Who almost had a female headliner back in 1986, and then again following the series’ revival in 2005, which could have been game-changing.

A Woman Was Almost Cast as the Seventh Doctor Back in 1986

After Colin Baker’s turbulent era as the Sixth Doctor between 1984 and 1986, then-BBC Controller Michael Grade wrote to Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman for suggestions on how to revitalize the series. Newman’s suggestion was to bring back Second Doctor actor Patrick Troughton to replace Baker for one season, who would then be replaced by a female actor as the Doctor. Newman posed Joanna Lumley, Dawn French, or Frances de la Tour as possibilities to replace Troughton, but then-Head of Drama Jonathan Powell didn’t like these suggestions.

Casting for the Seventh Doctor eventually came down to three men, Ken Campbell, Chris Jury, and Sylvester McCoy, with the latter taking on the role. Absolutely Fabulous’ Joanna Lumley, The Vicar of Dibley’s Dawn French, and Rising Damp’s Frances de la Tour all would have been fantastic choices for the Doctor, bringing comedy and light-hearted energies to the role, though this ultimately wasn’t what viewers or the show’s creators wanted. McCoy’s Doctor started with humor, but became dark, serious, and manipulative, which may have actually contributed to Doctor Who’s brief downfall in 1989.

Doctor Who’s Revival Also Almost Introduced a Female Doctor in 2005

Following Doctor Who’s cancellation in 1989 and failed attempt to revive the series in 1996, Russell T. Davies successfully brought the show back in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role as the Ninth Doctor. Eccleston was not the first actor considered for the role, however, as the likes of Hugh Grant and Martin Clunes were also in the running. It was Doctor Who producer Jane Tranter who wanted a woman in the role, suggesting British acting legend Dame Judi Dench, but this ultimately didn’t pan out. Dench would have brought some huge star-power to Doctor Who.

Later, during casting for the Eleventh Doctor following David Tennant’s hugely-popular era on the series, critically-acclaimed Welsh actor Catherine Zeta-Jones was considered before Matt Smith assumed the role. Similarly, the likes of Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Hollywood icon Tilda Swinton were considered for the role of the Thirteenth Doctor, which ultimately went to Jodie Whittaker. It seems there had been many opportunities in which a female version of the Doctor could have graced our screens before 2017, but Doctor Who routinely missed the chance – though this is no longer the case.

Jodie Whittaker Isn’t the Only Female Doctor Now

Despite at least seven other women being considered for the role of the Doctor over the last 30 years, Jodie Whittaker still played the first female iteration of the Time Lord. She’s not the only one anymore, however, with the next arriving during her tenure on the show. Jo Martin appeared in 2020’s “Fugitive of the Judoon” as Ruth Clayton, who was revealed to be the mysterious Fugitive Doctor in disguise as a human. This kick-started the Timeless Child reveal, as Martin’s Doctor was an iteration from before William Hartnell’s debut as the First Doctor in 1963.

The idea of a female Doctor has recently been kicked into overdrive, as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper at the end of 2025’s “The Reality War.” Piper previously portrayed Ninth and Tenth Doctor companion Rose Tyler between 2005 and 2006, with cameo appearances in 2008 and 2010. Surprisingly, Billie Piper was also considered alongside Zeta-Jones for the role of the Eleventh Doctor, and this casting has now seemingly come to fruition. It’s unclear when or if Doctor Who will continue to explain Piper’s mysterious return, as no future seasons have yet been confirmed.

Do you want to see more female Doctors in Doctor Who’s future? Who would you cast? Let us know in the comments!