Russell T Davies Admits He's "Grown Up" Since Doubting Whether To Cast A Female 'Doctor Who'

2017 saw a significant upheaval in the world of ‘Doctor Who’, with the announcement that Jodie Whittaker would become the first female actor to portray the Time Lord in over 50 years of broadcasting.

The news was received with almost universal delight, particularly from BBC sources, but the man responsible for ‘Doctor Who’s revival over ten years ago, Russell T Davies, has acknowledged that he’s “grown up” a lot since he publicly revealed hesitation over the idea some time ago.

“Okay, look, I know, some of us might be worried about the changes to come,” 54 year old Davies wrote in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine. “I worried, out loud, in print, once or twice, back in the old days, about the reaction to a female Doctor.”

Jodie Whittaker was cast as the first ever female Doctor in 2017

“But d’you know what? That was 13 years ago. 13 long years. I’ve grown up, and learnt, and I hope I know better, and the world has grown up too.”

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“Consider now; if you have problems, or fears, or doubts about the future, then ‘Doctor Who’ will come to you, and make you laugh, and give you a thrill, and take those terrors away,” he wrote. “The programme will do what the lead character does. No wonder it’s lasted for 55 years… The next 13 years are glittering ahead like a sky full of stars.”

As far back as 2008, Davies, whose other credits include ‘Queer As Folk’, was asked in an interview with The Guardian whether the BBC sci-fi series would ever see a female actor portraying the Doctor.

“I am often tempted to say yes to that to placate everyone but, while I think kids will not have a problem with [a female Doctor], I think fathers will have a problem with it because they will then imagine they will have to describe sex changes to their children… You’re not talking about actresses or style, you’re talking about genitalia, and a lot of parents would get embarrassed.”

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