Two of the Bega Valley’s most enthusiastic Doctor Who fans are over the moon at the news that British actress Jodie Whittaker has been named as the thirteenth Doctor.
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It may be because they are women themselves, but Amanda Dalziel and Bega Valley Whovians president Cindel Buckley agreed that it was about time there was a female time lord.
However, they both also said they would wait to reserve judgement until they see Ms Whittaker in action.
“I was excited to find out the new doctor was a lady, as with any new doctor I am always sceptical on how the actor will portray the doctor but I am very excited,” Ms Buckley said.
“Ever since they cast a lady for the master as Missy, I have had the feeling that it was time for a female time lady.”
Ms Cindel has been a huge fan of the long running Sci-Fi series since 2010 when she was up late at night breastfeeding her son, who has also grown up loving the show.
She said she believes it will be good for young Sebastian to grow up knowing that men and women could both be the Doctor.
“It lets him know that girls and boys can be anything. He was a little unsure about her but I’m sure once we start watching her he will like her.”
Ms Dalziel, who is full of excitement at the news, said she woke up on Monday morning ready for the announcement.
“First thing I did when I woke up was watch the new doctor walking through a forrest, Tardis key materialises in a hand… then…. holy crap, the new doctor is a woman…. I can’t believe they did it,” she said.
“But I don’t know if I like or dislike Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor yet. I haven’t seen her in any real episodes.”
While fellow female Whovians around the world have echoed the views of Ms Dalziel and Ms Buckley and expressed their support for a female Doctor, it seems that there was just as much backlash.
Thousands of long term Doctor Who fans have criticized the decision and reacted with outrage and anger.
On the Sapphire Coast, Bega Valley Whovians member Doogle Barker was one of those who expressed his concern.
“Cant say I’m happy about it, after watching the show for 43 years, it’s a bit hard to swallow,” Mr Barker said.
“I hope it wasnt done just to be politically correct.”
Doctor Who ran from 1963 to 1989 and was revived to acclaim in 2005. Its longevity is partly due to its flexible premise. The central character, known only as the Doctor, can travel across space and time and can regenerate into new bodies – allowing for endless recasting of the role.
And casting a female Doctor is something Ms Dalziel believes the writers have been hinting at for a while now.
“The whole series is centred around an alien that can regenerate and change every single cell in their body. It’s a brilliant piece of writing. Supposedly, it’s not all luck. In the prequel, the Night of the Doctor, the sisterhood of Karn helped him choose the form and personality he took when he needed to be the War Doctor. Maybe they’ll play with that at Christmas with Capaldi’s doctor not wanting to regenerate.”
Despite Ms Dalziel speculating about what will happen in the show, there is one thing she is sure of, now that the Doctor is a woman, there is a lot more pressure Ms Whittaker than on most previous Doctors.
“After the announcement video, I googled interviews and reaction videos. There’s a lot of pressure now on the BBC to handle this regeneration right.
“I’m just glad it’s not Joanna Lumley from Moffet’s comedic Doctor Who sketch, “The Curse of Fatal Death” - now that’s an example of how not to handle the Doctor regenerating into a woman.”
