Christopher Eccleston says 'Doctor Who' is 'a bit of a boys' club'

Christopher Eccleston has said Doctor Who is a "bit of a boys' club" and is in need of more female characters and writers.

The actor, who played the Ninth Doctor when the series was revived in 2004, said he would like to see the Time Lord meet women from history like suffragettes Emily Davison and Emmeline Pankhurst.

"It's great that we now have a female Doctor, and I think we should take that further in the way we look at history. Look at it through a female lens," he told Doctor Who Magazine, reports Digital Spy.

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"Russell T Davies writes the Doctor as one Doctor; Steven Moffat writes him as another; Rob Shearman writes him, he's another. Bit of a boys' club, though. We need to address that.

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"We need some more Cyberwomen, we need female writers. It needs to be addressed, particularly as the Doctor has such a pronounced, for want of a better phrase, feminine side, and such an enthusiastic engagement with the female."

Jodie Whittaker became the first woman to play the time traveller when she took on the role in 2018.

Chris Chibnall is currently showrunner on the sci-fi programme, while Russell T Davies and Steven Moffatt have also headed up the show since it returned in 2004.

Rumours circulated earlier this year that Whittaker would be stepping down as the Doctor after the show's 13th season ends later this year.

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However, the BBC declined to comment on any speculation on the actor's future on Doctor Who.

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