to hope that the next Doctor Who is female and not understand why this would be so terrible?

[findingme]

My first AIBU - I have used advanced search and can't see an existing post on this so apologies if there is. I don't want to link to DM so please just google "Female Doctor Who" to look at the recent articles about this in the DM and newspapers.

It seems that it is a possibility and I can't understand why anyone would think this is a bad idea. AIBU?

Must say I'm warming to the idea of Frank N Furter as a Timelord.

Don't judge a book by it's cover.....

I don't think anyone can really compete with Helen Mirren.

If not, I would go for Lenora Crichlow.

comicsworthreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/doctorwhomels.jpg

This is Nina Toussaint-White playing River Song.

comicsworthreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/doctorwhomels.jpg

This is Nina Toussaint-White playing River Song.

oh yes she was fabulous although was called Melody

Regeneration, for me, is like renovation - the thing stays basically the same (ie. male). The Doctor becoming female would be a complete transformation - and that is not regeneration.

If an area of urban Glasgow undergoes regeneration, it is still always going to be Glasgow - it cannot become Edinburgh.

So how did the Corsair do it, Arthur? That's established from the books (Shada) and on screen (The Doctor's Wife).

For those of us who haven't time to read the 241 pages of Lungbarrow this evening, would you like to summarise, Arthur? Which particular pages is your argument based on?

excuse me, i haven't read the thread, but i know that the next doctor who should be david bowie and that he should do a fairly long stint as the doctor.

How can HE remain a grandfather if HE regenerates into a SHE?We've got two explanations so far:1) Susan is speaking Gallifreyan to him, and although we hear it through the psychic link as "Grandfather", it's possible that Gallifreyan doesn't place such an emphasis on sex, and she'll literally saying "grandparent" or something far more specialised such as "male parent of my female parent" or "grandparent 4"2) maybe the temporal aristocracy have a different attitude to sexes than us, and use pronouns and gendered nouns according to the person's present sex. Perhaps Time Lords and Time Ladies growing up on Gallifrey would take it for granted that over the years they might have two grandmothers, two grandfathers but later on have three grandmothers, one grandfather, or later on have four grandfathers. The Doctor's words on the Corsair would fit with this.After all, humanscope with fellow humans changing pronouns, and we're far less advanced!Oh, and how canonical are the Virgin New Adventures, anyway? I vividly remember one as being one of the worst books I've ever read. And I've read fan-fiction!

How can HE remain a grandfather if HE regenerates into a SHE?

We've got two explanations so far:

1. Susan is speaking Gallifreyan to him, and although we hear it through the psychic link as "Grandfather", it's possible that Gallifreyan doesn't place such an emphasis on sex, and she's literally saying "grandparent" or something far more specialised such as "male parent of my female parent" or "grandparent 4"

2. maybe the temporal aristocracy have a different attitude to sexes than us, and use pronouns and gendered nouns according to the person's present sex. Perhaps Time Lords and Time Ladies growing up on Gallifrey would take it for granted that over the years they might have two grandmothers, two grandfathers but later on have three grandmothers, one grandfather, or later on have four grandfathers. The Doctor's words on the Corsair would fit with this.

After all, humans cope with fellow humans changing pronouns, and we're far less advanced!Oh, and how canonical are the Virgin New Adventures, anyway? I vividly remember one as being one of the worst books I've ever read. And I've read fan-fiction!

Jude Law gets my vote.

If the Doctor were a woman, when s/hebumped into that woman s/he used to be married to would s/he then be a lesbian?

And what would she wear?

For it must be the suit, surely.

Oh God no - not Jude Law

although River might approve

"That woman" happens to be the Tardis, how very dare you! She'd look just fine in any outfit: the lace-tablecloth-Burton/Bonham-Carter-esque number she wore on House, a tweedy suit like recent Doctors, a swishing cape like the early ones, a cheongsam or Prada. OK, maybe not Prada.

I muddled up your two posts there, Lynette. Oh, never mind.

It would be interesting (and extremely difficult to write or act well IMO) if the Doctor regenerated as female, but the companion didn't change. I can imagine it would throw the relationship off even more than it does usually. I know the character/personality can change an awful lot between regenerations, but I think changing from a man to a lady would be an even bigger change for a companion to get used to (especially if they're dealing with a personality change at the same time). Not necessarily in the way the character is written although I wouldn't want to let Moffat loose on it but something in the entrenched way the companion would think of male/female.

Actually, I'm not sure about River becoming 'lesbian-by-default' either... surely one of her key traits is how she interacts with men (the way she flirts with the guards when she's in the Stormcage for example).

You think lesbians don't flirt to get favours from men?

I really should have been gay. Look how many tricks you can sneak under the hetty radar

River is bisexual anyway, so she wouldn't be 'lesbian-by-default'.

I've obviously not been paying enough attention If she's bisexual then it makes it much easier. I was thinking in terms of if she's straight, it's a big plot change from being married to a male Doctor and flirting with men. Would she stay with him because she loves him, or would she find that even though she can cope with changing faces/personalities changing sex would be a step too far?

Of course, since she's bisexual than it wouldn't matter the same, unless she found him less attractive as a female for some reason. But I suppose that could potentially be true of any physical/personality change.

(Oh, and I apologise if I offended with the 'lesbian-by-default' comment. I couldn't think of a non-clunky way to word it!)