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Whittaker, 35, breaks a tradition back to the
start of the television series in 1963 that the Doctor is a man,
traveling the universe as a "time lord" in a telephone box to
protect the weak and combat evil aliens.
"I hope, you know, my gender isn't a fearful thing for the
fans," Whittaker told the BBC, in her first broadcast interview
since her casting was announced last month.
"In this world particularly - there aren't rules and that's a
great thing, you know, so hopefully, hopefully everyone is
excited, as excited as I am," she added.
Her casting was largely viewed positively by fans and
commentators but some on social media argued that the role of
the Doctor should not be played by a woman. Whittaker said that
she had missed the reactions as she was not a social media user.
Ultimately, Whittaker hopes that her casting will help fans of
the program to embrace diversity.
"Now we can say to young boys and young girls that the people
that you potentially look up to or the characters that you love
don't necessarily have to look the same as before - you know, we
can celebrate the fact of differences."
She told the BBC that she believed getting the role would be "a
blessing and a curse", and expressed the hope that media
interest in her personal life would die down: "It's not very
exciting", she said.
"Doctor Who" is one of the BBC's most popular scripted programs,
and has inspired a devoted fanbase in several countries, with
clubs, conventions and fan publications. She will be the 13th
Doctor.
Whittaker replaces actor Peter Capaldi, who has played the
program's lead role since 2014. She has previously appeared in
British crime drama "Broadchurch", and British cult film "Attack
the Block", among other roles.
Her casting comes as the BBC deals with the public relations
fallout from revelations that it pays its highest profile female
on-air talent significantly less than men in comparable
positions.
(Writing by Mark Hanrahan in London, editing by Alister Doyle)
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