Christopher Eccleston calls for gender balance among Doctor Who’s enemies 

We’ve had our first female Time Lord – now there are calls for gender balance among Doctor Who’s intergalactic arch-enemies, too.

Christopher Eccleston, who played the ninth Doctor, says producers should replace Cybermen with Cyberwomen.

In the show, the evil cyborgs turn humans into more Cybermen.

The actor, who starred for one series in 2005, also wants the show to look at history from a female perspective.

He said Jodie Whittaker, who took over the role in 2017, should also meet key figures such as suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. Eccleston, 57, told Doctor Who magazine: ‘It’s great that we have a female Doctor… we should take that further in the way we look at history. Look at it through a female lens.’

Although a Cyberwoman did appear in spin-off series Torchwood in 2006, there has never been one in Doctor Who.

Eccleston added: ‘It’s high time we had a Cyberwoman – I think we really need to address that. The Doctor with a Cyberwoman – that dynamic, feminine element of himself… his flirtatious nature… would be great with a Cyberwoman.’ 

Jodie Whittaker was cast as the first female Doctor in 2017.

Eccleston also said that it was ‘very important’ for him to portray the Time Lord with his own Salford accent.

He said: ‘One of the reasons why I didn’t like the show when I was a kid was I couldn’t put myself in that role. I know Tom Baker is a Scouser but he certainly didn’t sound like one to me.

‘The series seemed to be saying that if you’re white and you’re middle class, you have ownership of intellect and science.’