Actress wants Doctor Who role as transgender Time Lord
Trans actress Rebecca Root has said she would ‘love’ to star in Doctor Who, as the next incarnation of the mysterious Time Lord.
The Boy Meets Girl star is continuing her campaign to be the next incarnation of the Doctor – after first mentioning her aspirations at the Radio Times Festival last month.
The star joked that she’d “love to be the first transgender Doctor” – after the show featured hints that the Doctor used to be a little girl.
Though the role, currently played by Peter Capaldi, has always been played by men to date, his fellow Time Lord the Master was turned into the female Missy (Michelle Gomez) last year.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Root recounted: “I mentioned something about Steven Moffat being in the next tent along, because I vaguely know Steven.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to try and get hold of him – next time the Doctor comes up I’d love to do that’.
“It was picked up and somebody tweeted it and then the Radio Times tweeted it and somebody else tweeted it and it’s gone round in this mini campaign to get Rebecca Root as the first female or even trans Doctor!”
She continued: “It was this lovely little flurry and it made me chuckle because yes, of course, although I was making light of it I would love to play the Doctor! Oh my God, what an amazing part.
“I really, really would love that. But who knows? You never know, do you? Stranger things have happened so never say never!”
As the star of new BBC comedy Boy Meet Girl, Root is currently playing trans character Judy who starts dating a younger man, Leo.
Praised as the first ever sitcom to feature a trans actor playing a trans character, the show is being hailed as a piece of televisual history.
The show also stars Denise Welch of Waterloo Road as Leo’s mother, Janine Duvitski of Benidorm, Nigel Betts of Emmerdale, Lizzie Roper of Hollyoaks and Jonny Dixon of Coronation Street.
Other trans-focussed shows, such as Amazon’s Transparent, have received criticism for casting cisgender actors in trans roles.
Doctor Who is known for its positive and open-minded approach to LGBT characters.
Trans actress Bethany Black is set to appear later this series.
