The classic and forever running science fiction show Doctor Who has been broadcasting since November 1963. Thirteen actors have portrayed the Doctor. A Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through time and space in his time machine called the TARDIS. When the Doctor "dies," he regenerates into a new man with a new persona and face. This is why the show survived for over fifty years. Everyone has a different idea what the show could and should do. It would be interesting if the writers changed the gender of the main character. Some fans may not agree with me and that is fine.
All thirteen incarnations of the Doctor with the center being the present Doctor.
Time Lords can and have changed gender during their regeneration. A few gender swaps have happened during the revival.With one being the Master regenerating into a woman and referred to herself as Missy. The Master is the Doctor's nemesis and one of the major antagonists of the show. The revelation of the Master's return was a surprise to many and viewers did not know who the character was until the season finale. She was in a scene at the end of each episode to brew interest who this woman was. This changed the dynamic on how the Doctor and Master interacted. It adds some mystery to their past and how they were possible friends as children. Also, this makes the viewer wonder how society works when they change gender.
All of the actors and the actress that have portrayed as the Master with the current portrayal in the center.
The other character that have changed was an unnamed Time Lord general. This happened on screen, and she directly stated how different it was when she was a man or woman. This character is minor and has appeared in few episodes, but it directly shows that Time Lords shrug it off and move on. The General showed how she was relieved to be a woman again. Every Time Lord in the room, including the Doctor, did not show any surprise to the change of gender.Other references on other gender swaps during regeneration have been mentioned by the Doctor. The regeneration process is random when they die, and the Time Lord cannot control what face and personality they receive. It is a lottery outside of their control.
The General before and after turning into a woman.
This change could recreate the Doctor-companion relationship and why the person is chosen by the Doctor. The companion is generally a human from Earth that the Doctor asks to go on journeys throughout time and space. A few of the companions have had a love interest with the Doctor. These do not end well because the Doctor does not have those types of feelings in return. He wants a friend to travel with him because for a while, he thought he was the only Time Lord in the Universe. Instead of mostly female companions, more males could costar with the Doctor. This would change the show because some situations between past actors returning since he has been married to River Song and other historical figures.
The Doctor interacts throughout human history with past societies not believing that a woman would be this powerful. It could possibly be an interesting point of the season, such as "Am I Good Man" was for the 8th season when there was a new regeneration. The companion could be thrown off and confused that this happened, and how he or she can cope with the change in a man whom they thought known well. This could impact the story line of episodes with a twist on what the past was for the doctor and the show. The impact could interfere with the past in a creative way since the Doctor would take the lead in a serious event. Many would not want to comply with her as she saves the day. The people who do not comply would have to eventually comply with her and do what she says to do.
An example of a regeneration with the Tenth Doctor regenerating into the Eleventh.
The change in Doctors should not be announced that the current actor is leaving. It would be really surprising and create disbelief among the viewers. Many would be angry that the Doctor changed into a woman, but I think that it would be different if the Time Lord was portrayed as female. The show could change creatively, but still be the exact same show with no actual differences. The only difference would be an actress being the Doctor. The only requirements that I can think of, is that the actress should be chosen on her skills and be from the UK. It would be weird if an American was the lead on a British show. This could help the ratings and create a bigger fan base than what there already is.
The regeneration of a male to a female Doctor would be really interesting to see on screen, and would actively change the show in good ways. Yeah some people would be angry, but people are always angry when the Doctor regenerates. They will get over it. If it does not work well, she can leave the show and the Doctor will regenerate again. I do not think that this would be the case. The show is always changing over time (and space) as the show airs. Some fans leave and some fans are gained. This would have the same impact as before, and could change the history of this long running British science fiction television show.
