The purpose of this project is to look at the importance gender in the BBC show Doctor Who. This has been achieved by selecting ten focus characters for close analysis; five companions and five incarnations of the Doctor. The chosen characters are; Barbara Wright and the First Doctor, Tegan Jovanka and the Fifth Doctor, Ace and the Seventh Doctor, Rose Tyler and the Ninth Doctor, and finally Donna Noble and the Tenth Doctor. The analysis was based on a poststructuralist approach to the selected storylines of the show, in particular how the characters are influenced by gender roles and gender expectations. What this analysis showed was a tendency to stay close to the socially accepted norms of behaviour by males and females individually, although examples of pushing the boundary is also present. Based on the analysis, the discussion looked first at what values and personality traits which are shared by the selected companions, and secondly how the character of the Doctor has changed through the more than 50 years the show has existed. Interestingly enough, in both cases a tendency of a more mixed approach towards gender was uncovered, rather than an actual progress with the goal of achieving gender equality for the Time Lord and his companions. The overall purpose of this project is to answer;
What is the importance of gender in relations to the characterisation of the Doctor and his female companions, in BBC’s Doctor Who, and how have these followed the progress of gender relations during the 54 years the show has been produced?