As Jodie Whittaker hands the baton to Ncuti Gatwa, we reflect on how embracing diversity has led to some of the show’s most unflinching and affirming tales
• Doctor Who quiz: can you tell your Sontarans from your Skithra?
In 2018, a blond-haired, two-hearted woman crashed through the roof of a Sheffield train and on to our screens, propelling Doctor Who into a new era. Reinvention has been key to the success of the show, which first aired almost 60 years ago. Despite being long overdue, having a woman in the role was not a radical idea – it had been considered multiple times.
Tom Baker thought a woman could take over from him after his tenure as the Time Lord ended in 1981. The show’s creator, Sydney Newman, suggested in the 80s that, if the show were to continue, the Doctor should change gender. Joanna Lumley even portrayed a female incarnation of the Doctor in a 1999 Comic Relief sketch. But it took more than 50 years before the famous character was finally played by a woman full-time. This week, Jodie Whittaker will regenerate, leaving 31 episodes and a new generation of Who fans in her wake, and the sonic screwdriver will pass to Ncuti Gatwa, the first full-time black Doctor.
