BBC’s TV Chief Wants To See a Female Lead on Doctor Who

After more than 30 season with a male lead on Doctor Who, many have said it’s time for a woman to take a turn as the Time Lord, including Helen Mirren. Now adding his voice to the chorus is BBC’s director of television, Danny Cohen.

Speaking at the annual Edinburgh TV Festival on Aug. 21, Cohen was asked whether he thought there would be a woman Doctor Who. His response? “I hope so,” though he also added that he wasn’t sure when that would happen.

The latest season of the sci-fi show is about to debut on Aug. 23, with actor Peter Capaldi in the role of the eponymous character. (Matt Smith played the Doctor in the previous season.) Capaldi, who is best known for his role in The Thick of It, was cast as the new lead in 2013 and appeared in last year’s Christmas special The Time of the Doctor.

Back in May, Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat said during a Q&A at the Hay Festival that if a woman did take on the role it wouldn’t be due to “political correctness.”

“It will not happen that somebody sits down and says we must turn the Doctor into a woman,” he said. “That is not how you cast the Doctor. A person will pop into the showrunner’s head and they’ll think. ‘Oh, my God, what if it was that person?’ And when that person is a woman, that’s the day it will happen.”

[THR]