Doctor Who star Jo Martin is ready for potential spin-off

Jo Martin would love to get her own Doctor Who spin-off exploring her heretofore unknown regeneration of the Doctor.

Jo Martin made quite a splash when she appeared as a previously unknown regeneration of the Doctor during “Fugitive of the Judoon,” during the twelfth season of Doctor Who. Not only was that a shock, but she made history as the first Black woman to play this iconic character.

As far as fans knew, the original incarnation of the Doctor was played by William Hartnell back in the early ’60s. So this was quite a plot twist, one fans have been trying to wrap their heads around since it aired.

Exactly how far back do these unknown incarnations go? Maybe a spin-off could explore that question. Certainly, Jo Martin is up for it. “I would absolutely love it,” she told the Radio Times. “And they’ve got John Bishop there now, haven’t they? I’m a big fan of his. I want a scene with him. I think there’s so much more story. What they set up opens up a world that we’ve not fully explored with Doctor Who yet.”

"And you don’t want to waste that costume. You know what I mean? That costume – it’s a real waste of a costume because it’s so swaggy, as they say. So I think that costume needs to get worn again by me."

If showrunner Chris Chibnall is reading this, Jo Martin is rearing to get her own Fugitive Doctor spin-off, so let’s get on it!

Of course, Martin never imagined she would be in this position, but with every studio wanting to make their own cinematic universe these days, there’s room for an idea like this. “I just thought… number one, the tokenism thing will happen, where you go, ‘Well, we’ll have one female Doctor, just to keep us all happy, and the little ladies will quieten down, and we can go back to our real Doctor Who male figure,'” she mused. “So part of me felt like, ‘She might be the only one for a long while because they’ll feel like that’s enough for us.’ That happens with a lot of black actors. They’ve given it to one, and that’s enough. You can all run along now. It’s all done and dusted.”

"So to bring another woman on? I was just like, ‘What are the odds that it’s going to be me?’ A black woman? A black middle-aged woman? Which is also pretty key. Hats off to them. I mean, they’ve set the standard. They have absolutely set the standard. Even if you’re going to cast a woman or even a black woman, you’d think they’d get a youngster, because you become invisible again after a certain age."

It is certainly commendable of the series to keep pushing the boundaries of what the show is, and who can be in it. Not only did we have Jo Martin making history in season 12, but Mandip Gill’s Yaz has become the first companion of South Asian descent.

Speaking of inclusion, Doctor Who celebrated International Women’s Day earlier this week by sharing a new image of the Doctor and Yaz to hold us over until season 13 hits our television screens!

Here’s hoping that there are many more adventures from them to come (along with their new companion John Bishop), and there is no truth to the rumors of Jodie Whittaker leaving the franchise after the next season. I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet!

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h/t Digital Spy, Bleeding Cool