‘Doctor Who’ Almost Cast a Female Doctor More Than 30 Years Before Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker is well known as the first woman to play the Doctor in the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who, making her debut in 2017. But what many don’t realize is that she almost wasn’t the first female to take on the role.

In fact, the idea of a female Doctor was floated more than 30 years before Whittaker’s casting, with several well-known women considered for the part back in the 1980s.

When Whittaker was announced as the Thirteenth Doctor, it marked a historic moment for the show, which had been running for over 50 years without a female lead. She stepped in after Peter Capaldi’s departure, with Steven Moffat also leaving as showrunner. Whittaker’s casting broke new ground by being the first on-screen female incarnation of the Doctor, but interestingly, this change had almost happened decades earlier.

Back in 1986, the show was struggling. Colin Baker’s time as the Sixth Doctor had been rocky, and the BBC was looking for ways to revive interest in the series. Michael Grade, who was the BBC Controller at the time, reached out to Sydney Newman, one of Doctor Who’s co-creators, to get ideas on how to refresh the show.

Newman had a bold suggestion: bring back Patrick Troughton, the actor who played the Second Doctor, for one final season, then hand the role over to a woman. He suggested some well-known actresses of the day, including Joanna Lumley, Dawn French, and Frances de la Tour.

Unfortunately, those ideas didn’t get much support from Jonathan Powell, who was Head of Drama at the BBC. He didn’t like the suggestion of a female Doctor. Eventually, the role went to Sylvester McCoy, chosen from a group of male actors including Ken Campbell and Chris Jury.

While Joanna Lumley, Dawn French, and Frances de la Tour could have brought a lighter, more comedic touch to the character, the producers and audience ended up going a different way. McCoy’s Doctor started off funny but grew darker and more serious over time. Some say this shift played a part in the show’s cancellation in 1989.

Doctor Who was off the air for a while, with a failed attempt to bring it back in 1996. It wasn’t until 2005 that Russell T. Davies successfully revived the series, casting Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor.

However, Eccleston wasn’t the only actor considered. Names like Hugh Grant and Martin Clunes were in the mix. Interestingly, Jane Tranter, the producer of Doctor Who at the time, pushed for a woman to take the role. She suggested Dame Judi Dench, a major British acting star. But that idea didn’t come to pass either, although Dench’s involvement would have brought serious star power to the show.

Looking back, it’s clear that Doctor Who has flirted with the idea of a female Doctor many times before Jodie Whittaker finally stepped into the role. Whittaker’s casting was a game-changer, but the path to a female Doctor was nearly taken decades earlier. As the show continues to explore new directions, it’s fascinating to think about how different things might have been if the BBC had said yes to a woman playing the Doctor back in the 1980s.

The information here is based on historical accounts and interviews with key figures involved in Doctor Who’s production over the years, shedding light on a lesser-known chapter in the show’s long and evolving history.

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