Poll: Doctor Who Could Be Better

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Íf the regeneration process is completely random, yeah, he should have been different races and genders a fair bit by now. But I remember there being some aspect of choice in the regenerated form, in which case all white males would make sense. Either way I don't care, although it would be interesting to see a female Doctor and male companion.

 

[Mick Beard]

but isn't the doctor an alien? he is not human

so the human race has whites blacks yellows red etc etc the race he is from might only have white... he isn't human so hhuman skin colours shouldn't apply to him

 

[blackrave]

but isn't the doctor an alien? he is not human

so the human race has whites blacks yellows red etc etc the race he is from might only have white... he isn't human so hhuman skin colours shouldn't apply to him

What about other time lords?
How were they presented?

 

[AlbertoDeSanta]

I don't care. It's about the right actor, and if a black person hasn't been chosen then whatever. Same with a woman. It doesn't matter to me, since I'd be interested in seeing it, but that's the thing I say to all things Doctor Who: Bring it on, it's a brilliant series. Also, the fact that you've just seen the announcement of Capaldi as The Doctor begs the question: What rock have you been living under?

 

[Thaluikhain]

but isn't the doctor an alien? he is not human

so the human race has whites blacks yellows red etc etc the race he is from might only have white... he isn't human so hhuman skin colours shouldn't apply to him

What about other time lords?
How were they presented?

They only seem to have white or black timelords, no, for example, asians.

 

[Mick Beard]

but isn't the doctor an alien? he is not human

so the human race has whites blacks yellows red etc etc the race he is from might only have white... he isn't human so hhuman skin colours shouldn't apply to him

What about other time lords?
How were they presented?

no idea, don't watch the show.... just sticking up for the white man (and if someone thinks that's racist to say then you really need to take a hard look at yourself)

 

[Robert Marrs]

Who cares. So long as people enjoy the show why should it matter what race the character is. I would wager the majority of people who watch doctor who are white. I would wager the majority of people expect doctor who to be a white male. Hell I would wager a lot of people (women included) would be upset if doctor who out of nowhere suddenly was a white woman. You do not fix was is not broken. I don't actually watch doctor who but just because a character can be anyone at anytime does not mean people want him to be. I have no personal investment in the show so I cannot really speak for the fans but generally people do not like change when it comes to a fandom.

 

[Albino Boo]

I'd rather have the most qualified actor for the job. If that means another white male Doctor then so be it.

Pretty much my thoughts as well.

The gender or race of the actor playing the Doctor makes no difference to me. I'm more interested in the producers picking an actor or actress that's not only quite talented but one that can bring something interesting to the role. Someone who can inject their own style, personality, and sense of unique charisma into the character. Those are the only qualities that matter to me.

That said, I'm somewhat disappointed they didn't go with someone like Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, or Ruth Wilson. They would have made for an interesting change-up in the role. That and I think any of them would have been fanta...sorry, I mean brilliant...as the Doctor.

Mate they can't get those people. They aren't going to turn down film and stage work to spend 18 weeks in quarry outside Cardiff for 50% less money. Naomie Harris has just played Winnie Mandela opposite Idris Elba as Nelson in a movie, neither of them are going to turn that film down to play Dr Who. Helen Mirren has got an Oscar for god sake, they can't afford her. This isn't US tv with 10000s paid per episode, its the BBC. They would be lucky to get paid 10000 for an entire season.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

I don't really give a crap. As long as they get someone who knows how to play The Doctor and someone who knows how to write then I'm happy!

 

[ForumSafari]

If it doesn't matter what ethnicity he is then why change it? Moffatt has hinted that race and gender can change but it makes little real sense and he's the only director under whose purview it's happened. e's playing the social justice crowd for all its' worth and they keep falling for it. If you want to get glib you could point out Gallifrey's attenuated red spectrum light and say that there shouldn't be any non white timelords at all.

Just a tip for casting though, only about 3.5% of the UK population is black. Black people are pretty over represented on TV so we don't necessarily need another black part. Besides, you shouldn't cast on the basis of 'sorry for racism', it doesn't work like that. Technically you'd be better served casting a Pakistani Doctor but no one seems as bothered about that.

Besides, why the pressure to make the character change race or sex? Would it improve Torchwood to have changed Tosh out for a black guy? Or is it just white people that need diverifying?

 

[SuperSamio64]

Whilst I think the idea of a female Doctor is a bit much, I'd really like them to broaden their horizons a bit and cast a black actor in the role next. Idris Elba or Chiwetel whatshisface would be ideal but they're pretty big name stars these days so perhaps not.

 

[Subscriptism]

Considering that over 90% of the British population is white and they're only going to choose British actors then I'd say we're about in line with the skin colour percentages. The chances of having an actor that suits the role and is an ethnic minority where the minorities are very minority are pretty slim. Why they haven't chosen a woman? I don't know, CAN timelords even change their gender? Has it happened before?

 

[ForumSafari]

Why they haven't chosen a woman? I don't know, CAN timelords even change their gender? Has it happened before?

Moffatt's dropped 2 canonical references to it but no one else has before him, to be honest I suspect it's a way to keep people talking about a show that only manages to get 7-8 episodes out the door a year.

 

[Whateveralot]

What is more discriminating: the fact that all the Doctors are white, or the fact that you're mentioning this?

 

[Nyaliva]

OP, I'd like to call you out on your Poll title. When I saw the phrase "Doctor Who Could Be Better", I thought I'd be able to get a glimpse at what Doctor Who fans in the Escapist community thought of the writing of the latest seasons of Doctor Who and how it might be improved. Instead, I found a knee-jerk equality poll because the Doctor is once again a white male.

Now I've got nothing against the concept of a non-white or female Doctor, the possibility was just as exciting for me as anyone else, but to flat out say that Doctor Who could be improved by simply changing his gender or skin colour isn't a call for equality. It could very well be that out of all the actors that auditioned, Peter Capaldi was simply the best, so to cast someone else just because they weren't a white male would be disingenuous of the producers, detrimental to the quality of the show and actually racist/sexist against white males.

If you want to improve Doctor Who, look at the writing, set design or direction. If you want to call for equality, ask the BBC why Peter Capaldi was chosen over the other candidates. If we did have a female or non-white Doctor, or even both, that would be fantastic but it's not something I think we should have hang ups about.

Sorry if I seem somewhat agitated but it happens too often on this website that people will title their poll and their topic differently such that one could imply two different topics from each.

 

[Zacharious-khan]

Yeah why aren't there any black hobbits, because its their own universe and they can write it the way they want? Why don't you write an episode or two and send them to BBC where like a black chick is a time lord or something.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah why aren't there any black hobbits, because its their own universe and they can write it the way they want?

Exactly...only not in the way you mean.

Why do they want to only have white heroes?

 

[FoxKitsune]

I wanted to see River Song take over being the doctor so bad. Without going into specifics and entering spoiler territory, they had the perfect opportunity to do so, and have her regenerate into any number of great british actresses.I'm not of the same opinion the writers seem to be, that to keep the show fresh they need to routinely change actors up, but if they're going to do it at least make it a real change. A female doctor would breathe a lot of life back into the show.

 

[Josh123914]

The problem here is simply that the UK populous is mainly white, so having the Doctor be white makes sense from a marketing standpoint.
I'm not racist, but history is, and having a black or asian doctor would completely expel the Doctor from anything historical.
I mean, even going back to the 1960's in the US, if the Doctor was black nobody would listen to him, and going any further back than the 19th century he could well get enslaved or something else very racially insensitive, which is water the BBC probably don't want to get into.
As for a female doctor, while I personally have nothing against it, it would require a great deal of role reversal and preparation, with the companion being male instead of female and such.

So in closing, it isn't racism or sexism for the Doctor always being cast as a white male, its because
A) So many historical settings and periods would be neglected because of historical sexism and racism,
B) The format of the show would be shaken up too drastically
C) Diversity for diversity's sake doesn't apply to The Doctor, hell we've only had 1 black companion so far, which is surprisingly accurate as a representative of the small black minority in the UK (~30 something companions, and around 3.5% black populous in UK = ~1 or 2 black companions)
D) Moffat is not very good at writing strong females unless they're some variation of River Song.
Nothing personal, its just that if the show was to have a female Doctor, he wouldn't be my pick for showrunner at the time.

 

[rebelscum]

I guess one of the problems with a black or female doctor is that the show regularly time-travels back to the past, and, well...

FEMALE DOCTOR: "I know what the problem is!"
MEN OF 1500s LONDON "Shut up woman
FEMALE DOCTOR "No, my sonic screwdriver ha..."
MEN OF 1500s LONDON "A witch! Burn her!"

And that kind of thing would be interesting if the episode were a one-off set, say, during the Suffragette movement, but the Doctor being a woman would dominate every single episode set in the past (roughly 1/4-1/3 of an average season) in a way that the Doctor being a man does not. As a man he can move freely through any time period without slowing down the narrative for a "Sexism is bad, yo" message.
(Also I know his companions are female and the whole sexism in the past thing has been dealt with with a snide one-liner in the past, making the main character driving the story forward a woman would mean the issue would get pushed much more to the fore)

And as for the Doctor being black, that'd be even worse! I don't want lynch threats in my Doctor Who.

EDIT - Goddamn ninjas