Thirteenth Doctor

On January 30, 2017, it became known ^[8] that Peter Kapaldi , who played the role of the Twelfth Doctor , appeared on a radio program on BBC Radio 2, in which he stated that the tenth season would be his last in that capacity ^[10] and the question arose about who will play the role of the Thirteenth Doctor ^[11] . The reincarnation of the Twelfth Doctor in the Thirteenth occurred in a Christmas episode in 2017. Together with Peter Kapaldi, the series also left Stephen Moffat , one of the main creators of the concept of the series, revived in 2005 ^[10] . According to Stephen Moffat, the departure of Peter Capaldi and the Twelfth Doctor should not have coincided with the change of the group of creators - the replacement of Stephen Moffat with Chris Chibnell . Chris Chibnell tried to persuade Peter Capaldi to stay, but he supported the tendency of his predecessors, David Tennant and Matt Smith ^[12] .

Russell T. Davis, the previous ^[13] showrunner of the television series, in June 2017 stated that the casting had already taken place, did not reveal the floor of the Thirteenth Doctor, but hinted that he would be younger than the previous one; in addition, along with the new Doctor, there will also be a new episode system: the only long storyline ^[14] . At the same time, in April 2017, the BBC announced that the Doctor would not be a woman ^[15] .

Peter Capaldi, in an interview with the British newspaper Daily Mirror, said the next Doctor should be a woman. He saw Francis de la Tour as a candidate, well-known in the UK for her role in the television series 70's “ Room for Rent "(Rising Damp). Her candidacy was also supported by Labor Lab Harriet Harman : “Of course, a woman should appear in the role of Doctor Who, but here's the important thing: we need a man for the role of Doctor’s assistant” ^[16] .

The predictions of the bookmakers, according to the stakes, were as follows: Tilda Swinton (7/2) headed both the general and the “female” list of applicants, and with a wide margin from her pursuers. In the general list, she was followed by Chris Marshall (4/1), Olivia Coleman (5/1), Maxine Peak (8/1), Ben Wishaw (10/1), Richard Ayadoi (10/1) and others ^[17] .

Casting Women

After announcing that Stephen Moffat would leave the show in December 2017 and be replaced by new showrunner Chris Chibnell , this decision led to the assumption that one of two things would happen: Peter Capaldi would leave the role of the Twelfth Doctor after the previous season or with Moffat. ^[18] A month before this, Capaldi stated: “This may be my last year, it is terrible, I love Doctor Who, but it is a separate world, and I want to do other things. The time will come when everything will end, but I knew this when I started. From the very beginning, I thought about my regeneration scene, it’s my terrible character, prone to melancholy, when you accept a job that you know that the day will come, inevitably, when you say goodbye. ” ^[19]

On January 30, 2017, Capaldi confirmed that the tenth season would be his last ^[20] . Kapaldi announced his decision to leave, despite his great love for the show, he did not know whether he would be able to show his best game if he remained in the role for too long ^[21] . After his announcement, several media and bookmakers began to speculate who would replace Kapaldi as the Thirteenth Doctor; Bookmakers' favorites were Ben Whishaw ^[22] , Phoebe Waller Bridge ^[23] , Chris Marshall ^[24] and Tilda Swinton ^[25] .

The concept of a Female Doctor was first discussed in the 1980s when producer John Nathan-Turner discussed the possibility of taking on the role of a woman as the Sixth Doctor to replace the outgoing Fifth Doctor , played by Peter Davison ^[26] . In October 1986, during the presentation of Colin Baker’s last season as the Sixth Doctor, the creator of the series, Sidney Newman, wrote to BBC head Michael Rank, asking him to take on the role of executive director of the show, with a plan to return Second Doctor actor Patrick Troton to “calm down the TARDIS” , and with the assumption that "at a later stage, Doctor Who should be turned into a woman." Francis de la Tour , Joanna Lumley and Don French were considered as possible candidates. As a result, Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy was chosen to replace Baker ^[27] . Lummy later appeared as a satirical version of the Thirteenth Doctor in 1999 in the program Comic Relief in the parody of The Curse of Mortal Death . Arabella Weir also played an alternate Third Doctor in the episode " Doctor Who Liberated " in the Big Finish Exile audio drama . Neither one nor the other image, as a rule, is considered part of the main sequence of the show ^[28] . Prior to returning to the show, Judy Dench was one of the actresses who were considered candidates for the role of the Ninth Doctor ^[29] , and Helen Mirren was proposed as a potential candidate for the role of the Twelfth Doctor ^[30] .

The concept of the possibility of gender reassignment as a time lord during regeneration was introduced during Moffat's tenure as a show runner. In the episode " Doctor 's Wife " in 2011, the Doctor recalls the acquaintance of the Time Lord, known as the "Corsair", who had at least two female incarnations ^[31] . In 2013, in the short “ Doctor 's Night, ” Sisterhood of Karna offers the dying Eighth Doctor (performed by Paul McGann ) overseeing his inevitable regeneration, into a “man or woman” portrayed as a prospect ^[32] . Also, from the eighth season, the Master returned, who, between the fourth and seventh seasons, managed to regenerate into a woman and began to call himself Missy . In the series “ With Devilish Perseverance, ” the General regenerated into a woman after the Doctor’s shot.

Casting Jody Whittaker

On July 14, 2017, it was announced that the cast of the Thirteenth Doctor would be revealed after the Wimbledon final for men on July 16, 2017. Immediately after the announcement of the series “ Death in Paradise, ” actor Chris Marshall was a favorite of bookmakers in 4/6, ^[33] although twenty-four hours after that, Jody Whittaker , known for her role as Beth Latimer in Chris Chibnell’s crime drama “ Murder on the Beach ”, became favorite in 5/4. ^[34] Whittaker was subsequently announced on July 16 as the Thirteenth Doctor and will make her debut in the 2017 Christmas special “ Twice in Time ” ^{[35] [36]} .

Immediately after the announcement of Jody Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, the British magazine Radio Times conducted a survey among 12,000+ viewers, which showed that, in general, the opinion about the first Doctor of a woman was mostly positive. Only 15% spoke out against such an idea. 42% considered the decision “excellent”, and 43% said they did not want to make hasty conclusions and first wait for the first episode with Jody as the Doctor.

Also, some of the "old" Doctors expressed their opinion. So, for example, Peter Davison ( Fifth Doctor ) reacted to this news with understanding, but without enthusiasm. At Comic-Con in San Diego, he said: “If I have doubts, then because now there will be no role model for boys, for whom, as it seems to me, Doctor Who is very important. Therefore, I am a little sad, but I understand the meaning. "

Colin Baker ( Sixth Doctor ) immediately answered his words: “To be an example of imitation, it is not necessary to be of any particular gender. Is it not enough to be just a man? The boys have already had an example for fifty years. So I'm sorry, Peter, but you make a mess of bullshit, complete bullshit. ”

Also, her point of view was expressed by actress Karen Gillan , known for her role as Amy Pond . According to her, she was very glad to hear this news, since such radical changes, in her opinion, would ideally help give the series a new freshness. “Yes, Jody! Yes! Go on, yeah! Doctor woman! How great! ”Said Karen Entertainment Weekly .

The character debuted in Twice In Time , a 2017 special Christmas edition. ^[20]

Image

The main costume of the Thirteenth Doctor, first shown at a promotional photo in November 2017 ^[37] , consists of a light purple cloak, a navy blue T-shirt, brown boots and cropped blue culottes with suspenders.

The Thirteenth Doctor uses a new sonic screwdriver, which is significantly different in design from the Twelfth Doctor screwdriver. It was first demonstrated on July 19, 2018 at Comic-Con International 2018 ^[38] . The screwdriver was assembled by the Doctor in the episode "The Woman Who Fell to Earth " from improvised materials: in particular, her case was made of remelted steel spoons. The Lady of Time herself called her instrument “a sound Swiss army knife”.

Character

In the episode " Twice in Time ", immediately after regeneration, the Doctor reacted quite optimistically to her new look, saying: "Oh, shine!" ^[39] .

Jody Whittaker herself told in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the Thirteenth Doctor is “full of hope and excitement” ^[40] . In the same issue, Chris Chibnell called the Doctor "peppy, funny, friendly, unbiased, energetic."

Compared with his previous incarnation, the Doctor has a softer and more patient character, and also tends to openly show compassion. Also, she is distinguished by optimism and faith in the better side of any creature, whether it is a person or an alien. Despite the desire to resolve to the last any conflict peacefully, the Thirteenth does not disdain to turn the weapons of its enemies against them, even if it could lead to death.

The regeneration of the Twelfth Doctor ( Peter Capaldi ) in the Thirteenth occurred in the Christmas episode " Twice in Time ", which aired on BBC One on December 25, 2017. In the episode finale, the Doctor is returned memories of Clara Oswald ( Jenna Coleman ). He also says goodbye to his first incarnation, Bill Potts ( Pearl Mackie ) and Nardol ( Matt Lucas ). The Twelfth Doctor returns to the TARDIS and regenerates.

Regeneration leads to a malfunction in the TARDIS systems ^[41] , so the attempt of the newly regenerated Doctor to start the engine provokes an explosion and causes the ship to materialize over Sheffield. Having lost control of his time machine, the Doctor falls outside and flies towards the city ...

• «Jodie Whittaker's First Interview after her Announcement as the 13th Doctor»
• Thirteenth Dr. (Eng.) In the Tardis Data Core, an external wiki
• https://www.gazeta.ru/culture/2017/02/01/a_10503941.shtml
• http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-could-peter-capaldis-3175645