Steven Moffat: "Time not right for a female Doctor"

Steven Moffat has revealed why he chose not to cast a female as 12th Doctor. Peter Capaldi was unveiled as the new Doctor live on BBC One last night (4th August), despite rumours that the latest lead could be female.

"It's absolutely narratively possible [that the Doctor could be a woman] and when it's the right decision, maybe we'll do it," Moffat told the press.

"It didn't feel right to me, right now. I didn't feel enough people wanted it."

He claimed that many female Who fans were opposed to casting a woman in the role.

"Oddly enough most people who said they were dead against it – and I know I'll get into trouble for saying this – were women," he insisted. "[They were] saying, 'No, no, don't make him a woman!'"

Peter Capaldi will debut as the 12th Doctor in the Doctor Who 2013 Christmas special. The series returns to BBC One for the 50th Anniversary special on 23rd November.