Female Roles in Doctor Who
Majority of the Companions featured on the show are women. Many female characters during the first and second Doctors' series were teenage girls from the ages of 14-15, including Vicki, Katarina, and Victoria. Several female characters, including Polly, Jo Grant, and Donna Noble, have had assistant and secretary jobs during the show. As of 2022, 94% of people in business support roles in the UK are women. [1] Female scientist companions also outnumber male scientist companions, with Zoe Heriot, Liz Shaw and River Song represent several branches of science.
Liz Shaw, played by Caroline John, first appeared in Spearhead From Space as the new scientific advisor to UNIT. John said, "I was excited at first to be a brainy girl, but all the directors wanted really was a sexy piece. It was such an effort looking glamorous on cold clay-pits and rubbish dumps. I enjoyed the series but found it restricting after a while." [2]
Elisabeth Sladen starred as Sarah Jane Smith. Smith was a journalist who first appeared in The Time Warrior. Sladen returned to Doctor Who in "School Reunion" and in the spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures. Actor and "School Reunion" writer Toby Whithouse said, "[Smith] changed the companion from being a rather helpless hysteric to being a feisty, opinionated, strong equal to The Doctor. And, at the time, you know that was quite an extraordinary thing to do. That was not the role the companion, or women, were meant to be playing. They were meant to be playing the victim, they were meant to be decoration. I think what Lis Sladen did with that character is quite extraordinary. We forget how revolutionary she was at the time." [3]
Leela, played by Louise Jameson, is a warrior of the savage Sevateem tribe. She is portrayed as an intelligent noble savage. In The Invasion of Time, Leela stays behind on Gallifrey after falling in love with Andred. Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor Robert Holmes said the character was inspired by George Bernard Shaw's Eliza Doolittle (from Pygmalion ) and written to be a primitive that learns from the Doctor.
Romana is a Time Lord played Mary Tamm from 1978 to 1979 and Lalla Ward from 1979 to 1981. The White Guardian assigns Romana as an assistant to the Doctor. Romana initially looks down on the Doctor, but grows to view him as a teacher due to his experience. She decides not to return to Gallifrey and remains in E-Space. The character of Romana was intended to contrast the "savage" nature of Leela and is often viewed as an equal of the Doctor.
Nicola Bryant starred as Peri Brown beginning in Planet of Fire. Producer John Nathan-Turner said of Peri, "She'll often be wearing leotards and bikinis. A lot of Dads watch Doctor Who and I'm sure they will like Nicola." [4]
Ace, played by Sophie Aldred, is a London teenager that the Doctor meets in Dragonfire. Ace and the Doctor form a student and teacher bond over the course of the series. Script editor Andrew Cartmel said that the character was written to be a "fighter and not a screamer." The character of Ace has been cited as the first "modern" companion for the Doctor. One of the reasons is that her character was written to be more realistic, three-dimensional and to grow as a person throughout her run on the show. [5]
Billie Piper portrayed Rose Tyler in revival of Doctor Who. She is introduced as a working class shop girl that meets and travels with the Doctor. Over the course of the first series, she falls in love with the Doctor. Critics noted that Rose was more developed than previous companions. Peter Davison, who portrayed the Fifth Doctor, felt that allowing the Doctor and his companion to have sexual tension ultimately allowed for more rounded characterisation. He believed that Rose was the first example of the production team creating a well-written companion. [6]
Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman, is medical student who becomes the Doctor's companion. Martha parts from the Doctor's company as she recognises how unhealthy their relationship has become. As a young medical professional, Martha has been the focus of studies which discuss young girls' perceptions of "gendered representations of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)". The research was further analysed "the representation of STEM-related topics" through the programmes' two prominent, respective, female characters: Lisa Simpson and Martha Jones. [7]
Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, begins as an outspoken Londoner in her mid-30s as a temp worker. Donna and the Doctor shared a strictly platonic relationship; who he refers to her as his "best friend".
The first introduction of a female Master was in the seventh series of the revival as an unidentified character. In eighth series, she is revealed to be The Master. Rather than refer to herself as The Master, she called herself Misstress (or Missy for short). Missy often refers to the Doctor as her "boyfriend" or "friend".
The Thirteenth Doctor is the first female incarnation of the Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker.Fan reaction to the character was largely positive, but "a sizable minority protested that the Doctor shouldn't be played by a woman." Supportive fans cite that Whittaker's Doctor would be a positive role model for young girls. [8]
