Scots author AL Kennedy against female Doctor Who

Doctor No to a female Doctor Who for AL Kennedy. Picture: Gary Doak

Kennedy, who has just published her first Doctor Who novel. said the character had always had a “guy vibe” and that she would be “surprised” if the role changed gender. She said the character, currently played by Glasgow-born actor Peter Capaldi, would be turned into “something else” if a female actress was ever cast.

Kennedy – who realised a long-held ambition when she was asked to write a new story for her favourite Doctor, as portrayed by Tom Baker in the 1970s – said Tilda Swinton was the only actress she could think of who could possibly do justice to the role.

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Appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Dundee-born author said she was equally opposed to suggestions Sherlock Holmes be played by a woman, saying she was keener to see new stronger female fiction characters created instead.

She said the BBC had finally agreed to let her write a novel after “begging for a very long time” and described Baker as “the one and only true Doctor”.

One member of the book festival audience suggested Kennedy herself would make a good Doctor and asked whether she thought there would ever be a female Doctor.

She said: “As a heterosexual woman I have an interest in that. He is a big fundamental part of who I fancy. He is who he is. He has kind of got a guy vibe. He just has a sort of hopeless, undomestic, dozy, dreamy guy kind of eccentricity. I would be surprised if he changed gender. Build something else iconic and wonderful and marvellous for women.”

Doctor Who’s showrunner, Paisley-born Steven Moffat, has refused to rule out casting a female actress in the main role.