It's a question that has come up again and again in recent years, most particularly ahead of the casting of the most recent Doctor, Peter Capaldi - is it about time we cast a female Time Lord? Well it will happen eventually, showrunner Steven Moffat has said, but it won't be until he finds the right woman for the role.
Moffat was speaking at the Sky Women in Television and Film Awards and said; "We've been laying the possibility for an awfully long time, but you don't cast that way," he said. "I know I'm going to get in trouble for saying that – you cast a person, you don't cast the gender."
The show did notably change the gender of one of its most iconic villains in this recent series; "We did just make the female Master, she turns up and the Doctor doesn't say anything about it, he doesn't react at all, he thinks that's perfectly normal."
Moffat also addressed why there have been so little female writers on the show saying "I don't know why, I chase both sexes. There are many [female writers]. I think a female voice would be fantastic. But we're getting no luck there. I have a folder of women. They all said no!"
Although, that may be about to change as former Torchwood writer Catherine Tregenna is rumoured to be on board for series nine. As for that female Doctor, any suggestions?