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 Now, she says, it is time to build on that achievement, by
challenging the casting decisions holding back performers across
her whole industry.
Whittaker triggered thousands of online debates when she got the
role of The Doctor - a shape-shifting alien Time Lord played by
men since the show first appeared on British television screens
in 1963.
"It was a very important discussion to have and it was a very
important thing to do. It's an alien. It can be a woman. The
qualification didn't require a certain gender to play the role,"
Whittaker told Reuters in an interview.
"But now it's done and we've realized the world didn't end and
it's okay ... What will be exciting is when casting ... maybe
does represent more of the society that we live in."
Many fans welcomed the change when she first got the job in
2017.
But former 'Doctor' Peter Davison spoke for others when he
mourned the passing of a role model for young boys - and some
critics have questioned what they see as the political
correctness of her episodes' themes and the casting of other
characters.
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"When it isn't such a surprise to see a woman on screen, when that
conversation dies down, that will only be a good thing because it
means we've moved on," Whittaker, 37, said.
"But until we're there, let's keep the conversation fizzing," she
added. "In regards to me, that chat, it's proved that I can fly the
Tardis."
She returns to TV screens with the start of a new 10-part series on
New Year's Day.
The new series promises guest appearances by actor Stephen Fry and
comedian Lenny Henry, as well as the return of old favorites
including the Cybermen and the "interplanetary thugs" of the Judoon.
(Reporting by Sarah Mills; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian;
Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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