How Doctor Who nearly became the Time Lady

The Daily Telegraph ^ | October 10, 2010 | Marc Horne

[EveningStar]

His appearance and personality may have changed dramatically over the decades he has spent travelling through time and space, but Doctor Who has always remained resolutely male.

However, it has emerged that the show's creator urged the BBC to give the character a sex change in a desperate bid to prevent the series from being cancelled.

[EveningStar]

ping

[Calvin Locke]

A season or two ago, didn't a daughter appear? I figured it was for a spin-off.

[GeronL]

I had an idea for a story that would be a cross between Dr Who, Sliders, The Time Travelers Wife and The Fugitive!

[Zeppo]

However, it has emerged that the show's creator urged the BBC to give the character a sex change in a desperate bid to prevent the series from being cancelled.

I understand that the DNC and senior advisors in the Obama administration are seriously considering the same thing for Obama ahead of the 2012 election...

The only question is whether it will be voluntary or not...

[jimfree]

You do what you can in the attempt to keep an audience. It doesn’t always work.

[wally_bert]

I would have liked to have seen a reloaded Romana or someway to have either original back for an episode or two and explain their age somehow.

[Calvin Locke]

Perhaps they could have Dr. Who fly the TARDIS over a tank with a shark in it?

[K-oneTexas]

I thought the same thing ... sequel!

[Gideon7]

Lalla Ward was great as Romana. Didn’t she marry Tom Baker?

I think the closest to a female Doctor was Donna-Doctor in David Tennant’s season finale. That was a hoot.

[K-oneTexas]

That might be interesting, Dr Who as a woman. There has been what, 1 men thus far who have been Dr Who (since what 1963?). Then seeing the last two ‘change’ in mid-episode, well one would think anything is possible.

Next ... ‘Hello, my name is Bond. Jane Bond.’

[donna]

Hollywood has already overloaded that boring market of bossy females. These are just the blonds:

[Politicalmom]

Wasn’t his first companion his granddaughter, who left to marry a human and stay on earth?

[Calvin Locke]

I would have liked to have seen a reloaded Romana...

There are ways of doing things, and then there are ways of doing things.

The stars probably aren't aligning to pull off a decent storyline that does justice to the Ramona character, for whatever reason(s).

[wally_bert]

Yes and she was fantastic. I was half hoping that Donna was Romana in some form or fashion like how the Master got revamped.

[wally_bert]

More than likely you are right. No doubt Russell Davies and co. probably played around with idea after idea that just didn’t catch.

[Calvin Locke]

Before my time....

I really started paying attention to it with Tom Baker. And Leela, of course.

[Borges]

It was a stupid then and it would be a stupid idea now. There are already female Time Ladies.

[dr_who]

The problem with the series up to and long after its first cancellation was that a few nameless individuals who weren't quite sure what side their bread was buttered were producing and writing for the show. That, and the creative talent was being replaced by the bunch that have made post-70's "light entertainment" that is as exploitive, tacky, and stupid as it is preachy, pompous, and condescending.

The Romana character was great and could have stayed on for other seasons, but relying on gimmickry instead of good casting and good scripts for the Doctor character or other regulars is bound to alienate audiences with the exception of course of those people who will gladly watch paint dry.

Doctor Who episodes near the end of the Davison era were increasingly hard to watch. Pretty much gave up on the new series with the first episode.

[dr_who]

They all look like the same person and probably all play the same person. And your point wasn’t lost on me either. The princess Leia character arguably broke new ground in the first SW movie, but she was “plucky” and likeable. She had a sharp tongue, but no one who saw those films wanted to slap her silly. Part of the reason for that was the chemistry between the three leads and the decent scripts that didn’t take themselves more seriously than the plot warranted.