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?

Dear God, do people genuinely think you can pick and choose where to apply feminism?
It is about equality. I certainly do not pick and choose situations where I and my daughters should be considered equal. We are always equal. Feminism is not some bloody fad or fashion.

Why on earth shouldn't everything be a fight for feminism anyway?

Because all that budding enthusiasm can be saved for more appropriate causes such as in politics and employment.
It's wasted on a TV PROGRAMME.

RustyBear - all from the past not in recent series

And, actually, everything is a fight for feminism. NOthing wrong with that

surely you minimise impact by fighting every fight - some times you need to loose a battle (or rather lets something be) to win the war

Have there been Saturday prime tea time family shows with a female lead? I can only think of Dr Who, Merlin and Robin Hood recently.

Captain Jack was hardly ages ago, and Madame Vastra and Strax are current...

And calming down a bit....
I can't see any possible reason why the Doctor could not regenerate as a woman. The series cetainly needs refreshing. The only female character I have liked has been Donna. All the other feisty, gorgeous young things are virtually identikit.

RustyBear - but they are not considered true companions as they haven't travelled/lived in the Tardis.

To be honest I was referring more to the Rose/Martha/Donna/Amy/Clara companion role.

Robin Hood isn't recent. And all those things have roots anyway - Robin Hood was originally a man, Merlin was originally a man, the Doctor (not Dr Who) was originally a man. It's not un-feminist to want to stick to the story. The creators of those programmes (Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps, Dominic Minghella and Foz Hallan and Russell T Davies - the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who) didn't make the decision that those characters would be male. It goes way back.

The Doctor is surely not a "man" is he? He is not even human. I can't see why he wouldn't regenerate as a woman.

Robin Hood was 2006-2009. Merlin was 2008-2012. Dr Who is 2005 onwards, for the current tea time schedule.

All male protagonists. Has there been a similar family show with a female lead in recent years?

I do actually love Madame Vastra and Jenny. Would love to see more of them. But surely Madame Vastra isn't fooling anyone in that veil.

LadyBeagle, yes, of course. I just find the idea of Mr Marple quite funny. We could pitch it together!

I know when Robin Hood was on, and I wouldn't call four years ago recent.
I agree that there hasn't been a similar show with a female lead, but I just don't think those are good examples. The genders of the leads were established years ago, and the creators that I mentioned didn't have a say in it. I think rather than taking issue with current programmes, the attention needs to be focussed on creating a new programme with a female lead.

My girls used to quite like Primeval when it was first out because the blonde one from S Club was quite a good character.
It is really sad that I can't think of anyone else on a Saturday night.

They have all travelled in the TARDIS - Jack several times (in fact we don't know how often between The Doctor Dances and Boom Town, and between Boom Town and Bad Wolf) and how else did Vastra and Strax get to Demon's Run?

In any case, I don't think travel in the TARDIS is a necassary qualification to be called a companion; Liz Shaw was there for a whole series and never travelled in the TARDIS and it was some time before Jo Grant did.

I'm old enough to remember the very first episode of Dr Who with William Hartnell, I'm far too old to see him change into a woman.
Dr Who was part of my childhood.
I agree with you blindworm, a new programme with a female lead would work for me, especially a scifi Dr Who type programme.

attention needs to be focussed on creating a new programme with a female lead.

Agree - as classic literature does not have any real strong female leads except maybe Anne of Green Gables which would be Sunday early evening viewing

I've just remembered that about 14 years ago we used to watch Xena on a Saturday night. Not sure she was much of a role model though.

But maybe it's a feminist issue because all the programmes in that slot have been male-led?

If not a female doctor, then surely it's time for a female-led programme.

Used to love Nancy Drew years bad

But it's surely a question of how old legendy stuff is interpreted. A retelling of Arthurian myth could have chosed to focus on Gwenivere just as easily as Merlin. Ther was a kids program a few years ago called something like Maid Marion and her Merry Men.

I always thought Buffy was a good role model.

Wasn't Charmed about 3 sisters that were witches or something?

Can't think of any recent programmes. I always loved Maid Maryan and her Merry men.

And there are some female characters from history and literature who would lend themselves to the Saturday slot; they could do a Poccohonta type thing or a female pirate type thing.

Or Queen Boudica (sp), that could be fun.