If Gillian Anderson becomes the new Doctor Who, then I guess I suddenly have to watch Doctor Who.
Ever since Peter Capaldi’s announcement that he’d no longer be playing the Earth’s most beloved Time Lord, the internet has been swirling with rumors of his replacement. And because I have never seen a single moment of Doctor Who, I have largely ignored these rumors. Sure, I’m excited for my nerd-pals who get to geek out over a new and potentially exciting addition to the canon of a show they’ve adored for ages. But the search for yet another straight white dude to lead a show in which I have no stock interested me not a bit.
Until now. This week, writer Neil Gaiman told Radio 5Live not only that he believes the time for a female Doctor has come, but took his sentiments one step further to something that would likely show up in one of my many female-based Google Alerts by throwing Gillian Anderson into the ring. “I don’t think there’s anything Gillian can’t do,” Gaiman (and also me every morning upon waking) said. And not only is he just straight-up correct, he’s (perhaps unknowingly) making a broader statement that we all really need to hear, now more than ever.
A very sad and dangerous reality of the entertainment industry is that only the people at the top are considered viable and valuable consumers, and most of the people at the top are straight, white men. Women, the LGBTQ community, and people of color are so frequently overlooked, and excuses are often given to justify this refusal to make art for and about us- excuses like “That wouldn’t appeal to women” or “There are just no stories there” or “It wouldn’t reach the masses.”
A woman’s place is in the House, Senate, Presidency and the TARDIS. (Photo: BBC)
WELL, GUESS WHAT, HYPOTHETICAL INDUSTRY GIANTS WHO BELIEVE THAT WOMEN ARE INCAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING YOUR SHOWS ABOUT SCIENCE? TONS OF US DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR SHOWS BECAUSE YOU’RE SYSTEMATICALLY REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE HUMAN PEOPLE!!!!
The truth is, I love Gillian Anderson a lot. But if Doctor Who made the choice to allow ANY (*gasp*) woman to take over, it wouldn’t alienate audiences. It would draw a new audience. It would allow the show to be more dynamic. It would, PUN INTENDED, bring the show into the present instead of keeping it stuck in a past wherein only men can, like, get into a telephone box thing that is bigger on the inside and fly to the future.
Next: Here are 13 Actors We Think Can Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who
I don’t know, as I haven’t seen it. I have truly no idea what those dudes have been doing for the past fifty years. But if you check back with me in a few months, I really, really hope I’ll be mainlining the show in preparation for our first Female Doctor, and able to fill you in.