Earlier this year, Doctor Who announced that Jodie Whitaker will take over as first ever female Doctor in the show’s 50-year-history. But now, just three weeks before he exits the series, showrunner Steven Moffat is explaining why he never cast a woman in the iconic role.
Speaking with the Radio Times in an interview about his time working on Doctor Who, Moffat was asked why it had taken so long — not to mention a new showrunner, Chris Chibnall — to have the Doctor regenerate into a woman. Moffat, who has previously praised the casting, had a response that curiously invoked British politics.
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“This isn’t a show exclusively for progressive liberals,” Moffat said. “This is also for people who voted Brexit. That’s not me politically at all — but we have to keep everyone on board.”
For those who don’t know, Brexit refers to the prospective withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The UK voted in 2016 leave the EU in what has been considered a largely conservative political move and negotiations to complete the exit began earlier this year. And while British politics may be a consideration, Doctor Who has a global audience one that has been wondering if and when the Doctor might have a female incarnation.
But Moffat, who started working as a writer on Doctor Who in 2005 and has been executive producer and showrunner since 2009, also seems to think that despite audience demand, timing for a female Doctor wasn’t right during his control of the show. He commented that now is the time, with someone else taking over.
“All credit to [Chibnall,] Moffat explained. “It’s going to work, I know it is. More and more of the audience were asking for it. It’s is absolutely the right choice. Now is the time.”
Whitaker will take over as the Thirteenth Doctor during the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special “the Doctors, which will air on the BBC and BBC America on Christmas Day.
