Top 10 Women to Play ‘Doctor Who’
Over the weekend it was leaked (and then officially announced) that Matt Smith would complete his run as the Doctor on the long running sci-fi show Doctor Who. After the 50th Anniversary episode Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor, will regenerate during the Christmas episode for 2013. Amid the Whovian tumblr melt-down and hastily photoshopped loving/creepy tributes to him that seem to imply that a) he’s already left and b) is possibly dead, the speculation as to who will step into the pointy boots has begun. Jes M has already taken us through some choices for the role, but one thing that has already been suggested is that the Doctor may regenerate as a woman (something that has already been established to be possible). I for one welcome this – the show has been on the air for 50 years and mixing things up is a good idea. With that in mind here are ten suggestions…
– 10 –
Joanna Lumley is an icon of British media. Best known on the screen for Absolutely Fabulous Lumley always stands out in whatever she does. A bold personality she divides her time between extensive charity work and acting. If the producers of Doctor Who want to pick a national icon to play another national icon then this is the way to go. She’s even played the Doctor before in Comic Relief!
– 9 –
The Doctor is many things. He’s smart, daring, funny and something of an oddball. Personification of these traits would result in Mary Louise Parker. With her lead role in Weeds coming to a close she’s free to take on the role, and while many people associate her with the part of Nancy Botwin it’s her work on The West Wing that best encapsulates what she could do with the Doctor. If anything she’d certainly contribute some sass to the show.
– 8 –
Atwell’s career has been short but littered with acclaim, with her first major award nominations coming within years of starting cinema with Brideshead Revisited. Now a household name after playing Peggy Carter in Captain America she is a striking actor with a strength of character that would be perfectly suited to a leading role such as this.
– 7 –
Of the names on the list this is the one that is less known. That may be about to change though, having gone from The Prestige to Vicky Christina Barcelona to The Town and finishing with Iron Man 3. Through her career Rebecca Hall has taken on different roles and delivered each performance with charm and a hint of mirth. Going with an up and coming actress may work better than an established performer for the Doctor, and Rebecca Hall may be perfect for the part.
– 6 –
Whilst never having broken the A-list Kristen Scott Thomas has been working to high acclaim on both the stage and screen for quite some time. Known for her especially refined taste she has even become the measure of ‘cool’ on the show Top Gear. Working in both British and French cinema has opened up many roles for the actress and has resulted in a varied and impressive resume that could be enhanced by tackling the world’s favourite time traveller.
– 5 –
Few actresses are as interesting to watch as Emma Watson is right now. Although she did not intend to continue an acting career after the Harry Potter franchise which dominated her formative years she has now made a return the craft. Quickly breaking away from the perception of being Hermione Granger with a complex and well received performance in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, with the upcoming The Bling Ring looking equally impressive. On the books is a movie directed by Darren Aronofsky and a television series by Guillermo del Toro. Although she is high demand the producers of Doctor Who need to keep her in mind.
– 4 –
This highly acclaimed performer has been acting almost as long as Doctor Who has been on the air, and continues to amaze audiences with her dramatic ability. She’s not one to play to type, with the recent RED seeing her meld comedy and high-powered action together. Mirren would be the actor who would bring some class back to the role of the Doctor after the more goofy Matt Smith and while she could balance the comedy and action it’s the emotional side of the character she would really pin down. Mirren has expressed as interest in the role in the past and a potential one-off performance, but we want to see what she can do over a season or three.
– 3 –
Thompson is an actress with many strings to her bow. She’s worked with Ben Elton, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in comedy and her then husband Kenneth Branagh in Shakespeare adaptations. These slices of acting experience are invaluable for playing the Doctor, being able to amuse the audience and switch into drama at the drop of a fez. After Brave and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Thompson’s slate looks a little clean – perfect for making the commitment to an ongoing series.
– 2 –
Dormer is currently becoming everyones new favourite character on Game of Thrones by keeping Joffrey round her little finger while being the only person to ever be nice to Sansa. Although she’s best known for a rather manipulative and untrustworthy character she has a wry smile and charisma that would be perfectly suited to the modern perception of the Doctor. And when she meets up with Jenna Louise Coleman on set they can reminisce about the one line they each got in Captain America.
– 1 –
It would be easy to say that Winslet tops the list for being the best actress currently working, but she’s also perfectly suited to the part. The Oscar winning performer was introduced to audiences in Peter Jackson’s ode to insanity Heavenly Creatures and has continued to stay on the radar with a series of challenging roles and stunning performances. Interviews with Winslet have revealed a grounded, amiable personality with a sharp sense of wit, and her role in shows such as Extras demonstrates a kooky sense of humour. Kate Winslet had actually be sought for a role in Doctor Who before – that of the Doctor’s wife River Song. The part eventually went to Alex Kingston (who nailed it) possibly leaving the way open for Winslet to take up the controls to the TARDIS herself.
Don’t forget to check out Jes M’s picks for the men who could steer the TARDIS RIGHT HERE (and yes, some are ‘people of colour’ as one commenter puts it)!
An american list, done by Americans. Sue Perkins is one of thee front runners. You can drop any dreams of an american Who. you blew that with the movie. We’ll let you watch the show, but never, never in a million years think for a second we’d let you put on of your own as the main character.
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I’m Irish, and I live in Australia. Last time I checked neither of those things makes me American.
That aside, your racism isn’t welcome here.
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It’s not racism, that’s an insult to racism. If it’s anything it’s nationalistic outlook. And I’m smart enough and cultural comfortable understand that. I have no problem with a person of colour playing the role. My first choice is Alexander Siddig after all. And for the record the only women (other than Sue Perkins) who could do the job is Amanda Tapping, and even she’s born in England.
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I’m talking about your idiotic assumption that I was American and the implication that this would lesser my opinion.
“An american list, done by Americans”
And that you will “never, never in a million years think for a second we’d let you put on of your own as the main character.”
The language used really is very hostile.
You can call yourself “smart” and and “culturally aware” if you want, but everyone else thinks you’re a nincompoop.
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Really disappointed all 10 are white women. C’mon guys, what about Gina Torres? Grace Park? CCH Pounder? Erica Cerra? Rachel Luttrell? There are LOADS of talented sci-fi ladies of colour you’ve totally ignored with this list.
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Or I just picked the ten I liked for the role. You’re the one who categorised them all by race.
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Thanks for your well thought out answer. I can tell you’re actually thinking about whitewashing in television. Thanks for alleviating my concerns!
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Not one of the people you suggested is suited to the role. Including them in the article based solely on race is the same as not including them based on race. By the way, polite people try to avoid using terms like ‘people of colour’.
Now, would you like some carrots for that high horse you’re sitting on?
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Oh, and while you are visiting our site you may want to take note of the article we published YESTERDAY featuring some multi-racial casting choices.
You may have noticed it if you weren’t being so quick to jam your uncomfortably forced political correctness down our throats.
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No thanks, won’t be coming back to this site any time soon. I made a very civil comment about how I was disappointed in your list and you’ve been extremely rude.
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You didn’t make any comment on my list. You’ve tried to turn it into a matter of race, which had no bearing on the article whatsoever.
Your suggestions were all terrible. What part if Gina Torres’ career playing tough, action orientated roles did you feel made her suitable for playing a character is an outspoken pacifist?
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Jasmine in Angel.
How on earth did I not comment on your list when I made suggestions? You are obviously looking for an argument here. I’m not going to give you one. You disagree! Woop-de-doo, fine. I still think having a list of all white people for anything is pretty crappy. You can disagree with that too! GO DISAGREE! I’LL BUY YOU A SHIRT. IT WILL SAY, “I DISAGREE WITH YOUR OPINION”.
Thankyou and goodnight.
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Jasmine in Angel was a manipulative, evil Goddess who ate people. What in that performance made you think she was a good match for the Doctor?
You only picked those performers based on race, not suitability. I didn’t intend to exclude a particular group (aside from men), that’s your view of the world.
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do agree with above commentator (to whom I think you’ve responded quite rudely). Naturally it is your freedom to generate a totally white list of female actresses. Pacifist alien doctor who embraces difference always regenerates within one race. You address one point that Gina Torres is unsuited to that kind of role without addressing the overall point that you exhibit a distinct bias in your choices. Incidentally, I regard Gina Torres as well-rounded actress who is not limited by her previous roles. You accuse commentator of picking performers based on race: I can accuse you of the same.
Tangentially, you are incorrect about ‘polite people’ using the term ‘people of color’. More insistence on picking at inconsequential points to attack a reviewer instead of facing the main point and admitting that they have a point, or apologizing. What’s the point if there’s ‘another article posted yesterday with multi-racial casting’? The comment was about this article. We are talking about this article.
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Why does a list of casting choices have to be multi-cultural?
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Are all the actresses best suited to the role white?
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Unless I have made a specific point to exclude anyone who wasn’t white, I can not understand why this would be an issue.
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The fact that you did not have any specific intentions to exclude non-white actresses does not negate the fact that you have, in fact, excluded non-white actresses from this list. I note that you have not answered my question. The title of your article is “top 10 women to play ‘Doctor Who'”. England’s white population is estimated to be around 85%. Statistically there should be one or two non-white actresses on this list. Is zero not too different a number from one or two? It is a pretty different number when it comes to races/ethnicities that are traditionally underrepresented in our media, and when that lack of media representation has actual impact on the lives of POC (being an English POC, I reserve the right to use that word, by the way).
We’re quite a chunk of this population, you know, and we come by it as legitimately as white Australians or Americans come by theirs. Possibly you view it as too large a hassle to ‘go out of your way’ to find POC actresses to put on this sort of list. If listing white actresses comes naturally to you, I’d request you question why it is so natural, and why you’re intent not to be forced into changing your decisions or admit that you could do better.
It’s actually fairly clear to me from your answers to the above commentator that you’re not actually listening- ‘shoving political correctness down your throat’, etc- ever considered political correctness might actually be important? so I don’t really regret that I’m boarding a plane soon and will be unable to continue conversation. Please don’t bother replying. I’ll be busy unpacking as soon as I get off and won’t see it.
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What?! Do you honestly expect a random casting list to go out of the day to be statistically accurate to a given population?!
Guess what? I don’t think I’m a bad person because the actresses I liked for this one role were white (from different racial backgrounds mind, it’s not just down to skin colour). If you think that makes me a racist I honestly couldn’t care less. You don’t know a thing about me beyond this list. If you want to spend your life trying to find racism and political incorrectness where there is no basis for it you’re going to have an angry, sad life.
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The issue of race is largely irrelevant to this article, I have no idea why either commenter felt the need to bring it up. The author thought of 10 current female actors that he felt had displayed the necessary skills and talent in their previous work to play the character well, and these women were coincidentally Caucasian. It’s very clear that women of other races were not intentionally left out, except because they did not meet the criteria of character suitability. When writing this list, no non-Caucasian female actors occurred to the author as being perfect for the role. Full stop. The end. No racism or offence intended.
While the response by the author may have been abrupt or rude, I think that’s perfectly understandable, considering both commenters clearly spoke with aggression and the author felt the need to defend himself against unfounded accusations of racism.
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Thank you!
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Wow, something that was obviously supposed to be just a fun, personal opinion post about Doctor Who turned so nasty right from the get-go! It’s not like it’s some official statement from BBC that’s spawning some heated debate. I understand people feel passionately about Doctor Who but I definitely don’t understand the inability to appreciate someone else’s harmless opinion.
I’m a girl (and an American) and although I’m not sure if it’s an unpopular opinion or not, I hope the new Doctor isn’t a girl. In most other circumstances I’d be all for a powerful female lead but Doctor Who already has/had some amazingly badass women (including River who is pretty close to the Doctor’s female equivalent and I wish we saw more of her). The women of Doctor Who aren’t damsels in distress waiting to be saved by him and, in much of the case, do the saving themselves. I worry that a female Doctor would mess with certain continuities and might make things odd for future stories. I mean, think about it, when he regenerates his body will change but his core brain, thoughts and opinions will remain the same and he’s been a “he” for, what? 1200 years? It’s not like my opinion will/would decide anything and in the end I’ll trust the Doctor Who bunch to pick someone that brings the most to the table.
Regardless, I thought this was a fun post and I appreciate your opinion even if it isn’t the same as mine. Why can’t we all just get along? I mean, in the end, don’t we all just want more good Doctor Who anyways? 🙂
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Thanks for your comments!
I’m not convinced that gender-swapping the Doctor is the way to go, but I’ll certainly be on board with a change.
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I was going to write my own comment but you pretty much summed up what I had to say!
There’s nothing wrong with a female time lord, but the Doctor has always been male and I think changing it just for the sake of “female empowerment” is ridiculous.
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Love your list, but I’m almost 100% sure that that picture isn’t of Joanna Lumley. 🙂
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What?! But…I googled it!
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I have a feeling it’s a dodgy wax work!
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I’m just going to go and clean my glasses. And maybe have laser eye surgery.
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Two birds…. one stone: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010837/
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I’m not familiar with any of the shows she’s best known for…but I see she did have a small part in ‘Doctor Who’!
I saw that episode pretty recently, I can see why she’d fit the part.
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I certainly believe that since the Doctor has been written as male for so long that it’d be difficult to do a gender-swap, but it’d be interesting to see if they could manage such thing. A female time lord for modern days would be nice to see. I know there is Romana from the classic Who, but one for today would be interesting to see in the show even if isn’t the Doctor. And we also saw half-human, half-time lord with Donna, but strictly FEMALE time lord like Romana would be nice to see for today.
Feel free to correct my mistakes if I am getting something wrong about classic Who. I don’t know much of it (besides what I read) and someone on Pinterest had told me about Romana when I had said before that I wish there was a female time lord…
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We’ve had both Susan, the Doctor’s grand-daughter, and Romana who could be brought back with new regenerations. Maybe Susan’s parentage could be tied in with River’s story.
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Yeah, I realized that there were more representations after I commented. But that’d be an intriguing tie in with Susan. I just wouldn’t mind seeing them bring in another female time lord.
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On the issue of casting an actress and/or a black/Asian/etc. actor/actress in the part, I’m of the opinion that I would like it to stay male. Now if a female or whatever gets cast, then I would still watch, but they need to make sure that they are casting a woman or whatever because he/she is right for the role and not JUST because he/she is a woman or is black or whatever. That’s my main concern about the whole thing. That they will just cast someone different just to cast someone different.
Oh, and a side note. I don’t think tying Susan with River would work nor would I want it to happen. Susan has been clearly stated to be part of whatever family the Doctor had before he left Gallifrey. There’s no need to make River involved in that or imply that she’s Susan’s grandmother or something, which wouldn’t make sense anyway because then the Doctor probably would’ve questions where the heck his children and grandchildren came from before he met River. Anyway, that’s just my two cents.
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I don’t really agree with the whole “The Doctor Being a Girl” thing, but if it is a girl, I think that Watson should do it. She’s a good actress and Hermione being in the TARDIS would be kinda cool. But really, I think that Rupert Grant should do it. 🙂
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