On the one hundred and second episode of Reality Bomb, we’re making a deep dive into Chris Chibnall’s tenure as Doctor Who’s showrunner and discussing the good, the bad, the ugly and the hopeful about Chibnall’s reign with Lacy Baugher-Milas, KatyBeth Schmid and Priya Deonarain. We’re also discussing pirates, comedy and Doctor Who fans’ not-so-secret anxieties when legendary casual fan Max Kashevsky brings Douglas Adams debut story The Pirate Planet to the Gallery of the Underrated. Plus, Joy Piedmont talks about change and Doctor Who. And on a post-apocalyptic world, lonely Doctor Who fans wait for any sort of news.
I think a lot of what I heard about the Chibs era was spot on. He definitely made some important decisions, but then did nothing with them. I was so excited for the first female Doctor, and I really needed that to be part of the show, rather than it be utterly ignored. It might be something the character wouldn’t think about – possibly, though I have my doubts – but as an audience, as a culture, we do. We’ve been waiting a long time for this and to have it barely commented on was just such a missed opportunity. The idea that the Doctor commands respect just by walking into a room isn’t just about their Time Lordiness, but because they strut about like a man. Earth is a misogynistic planet, old white men would react very differently to 13, though they would be quickly put in their place (itself something it would have been satisfying to see), and it would have been good to see it reflected in the show and for the reaction to serve itself as a metaphor for the show’s response to sexist trolling. Then there’s the inclusion of Dan – yes, once he was there, we all loved him, but… there was a chance to have an all female crew, two female leads, the possibilities of that friendship infinitely fascinating, and… nope! Can’t have that. My thoughts were that the decision was based on fear of how some perceived audience would react, which does not give us near enough credit for who we are anymore. Failing that, we had the idea of a mutual romance between Yaz and the Doctor, but, unless something is mentioned in the centenary, it’s boiled down to a mere ‘I would if I could but I can’t’. That’s fine, to a degree, it’s what 10 said to Rose essentially, BUT, putting it there in the first place and then doing nothing with it seems… i don’t know… cynical? It’s like, during this era, so much was paid only lip service, rather than deep diving into what this all means, for the Doctor as a character and as a pop culture icon. This has been an era that you can like if you don’t think about it too much, which is fine, there’s plenty of Who like that, but for what it promised with these fantastic changes and ideas, it’s sadly disappointing and a disservice to both Jodie and the concept of a female Doctor, and I hope we don’t have to wait another 50 years before we get another go at it.