‘Doctor Who’s Female Doctor Is Bringing Out The Trolls And The Funny Trolling Of Trolls

— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) July 16, 2017

Thirty-one years after Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman requested a female Doctor, new head writer Chris Chibnall is making it so. As revealed on Sunday, Jodie Whittaker (Attack The Block, Broadchurch) will be playing the 13th Doctor, taking over for Peter Capaldi after (or more likely during) this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special.

Whittaker said in a statement, “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change.”

Nevertheless, some fans had a problem with the change. One guy decided he and his son can no longer watch the show. Another took issue with the term “Time Lord, not Time Lady” (It’s a species of alien, not a gender title). One guy opined, “I fear this victory for PC feminist tokenism will ruin this iconic series for a great many people.” Another said, “And again the PC brigade get their way. R.I.P Doctor Who.”

Some people reacted to tweets like those by pointing out a little Doctor Who history:

— James Cooray Smith (@thejimsmith) July 16, 2017

"Doctor Who is being run by PC lefties now"

In 1963, it had a woman producer and was directed by a gay Asian man. #doctor13 #DoctorWho

— Chris Down (@PlingetheElder) July 16, 2017

Haters: "Women are ruining Doctor Who!"

The first showrunner was Verity Lambert and she was cooler than most of us will ever be, go home. pic.twitter.com/pC2XZ7fQ5A

— Alan Sizzler Kistler (@SizzlerKistler) July 16, 2017

Others pointed out that this regeneration has already been hinted at:

But most of the reactions were snarky jokes about why anyone would take a show with flying phone booths and aliens and toilet plunger robots and whatnot so damn seriously:

*Doctor could be a woman* – IMPOSSIBLE HOW DARE YOU #doctor13

— Ruth (@anxiouslion) July 16, 2017

'Dr. Who can't be a woman' says guys who watch a show where phone booths still exist.

— gabrus (@jongabrus) July 16, 2017

Your dad thinks Dr Who being a woman spoils the realism of someone travelling space & time in a phonebox fighting bins with plungers on them

— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) July 16, 2017

2013 – all 12 Doctors team up & send Gallifrey to a different dimension

nerds "makes sense"

2017 – the Doctor is a woman now

nerds "wait"

— Fred Delicious (@Fred_Delicious) July 16, 2017

When you believe a being can have 2 hearts, time travel, be resurrected into different forms but not that 1 of those forms is female.

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) July 16, 2017

LOL. This show had subterranean dinosaur people, but a woman in charge is too far-fetched for these babies… pic.twitter.com/S5M1myBewH

— SarcasticRover (@SarcasticRover) July 16, 2017

Oh great a female Doctor Who. What next Female real doctors Female pilots Female scientists Female sisters and mothers Female WOMEN!

— m@®|{ µø₽₽û§️‍ (@markhoppus) July 16, 2017

Just been outside for the 1st time since we've had a lady #DoctorWho. Everything's on fire, the sky's fallen in & there are bras everywhere

— Clayton Hickman (@claytonhickman) July 16, 2017

"I just can't picture a female doctor!"

It's a fucking TV show mate, they provide the pictures for you

— Jon (@Kirioth) July 16, 2017

And the sarcasm continued:

— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) July 15, 2017

nerd boys: i hate that there's a female Doctor Who!!! if a woman is in it i'm OUT!

also nerd boys: women won't date me because i'm too nice

— Lane Moore (@hellolanemoore) July 16, 2017

I have a leaked script for the next Doctor Who episode and it confirms all our worst fears: pic.twitter.com/U3764J4QsH

— Pixelated Boat (@pixelatedboat) July 16, 2017

you (dumb): let’s argue about the gender of doctor who

me (smart): actually it’s doctor whom

— Hippo (@InternetHippo) July 16, 2017

Bernie would've played Dr. Who.

— JEN KIRKMAN (@JenKirkman) July 16, 2017

A girl Dr Who, my God where can I go anymore to see white men in sci fi and fantasy pop culture. pic.twitter.com/QZ9UZ6eC12

— Low-Quality Goat (@JuliusGoat) July 16, 2017

Can't wait to see Doctor Who battle her new arch-nemesis Male Nurse Actually

— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) July 16, 2017

If Doctor Who writers really love me there will be a moment where a man tries to explain time travel to her so I can laugh my ass off

— Chiwetel's Glasses (@takilah805) July 16, 2017

Her first adventure is politely correcting everyone who calls her "Nurse Who."

— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) July 16, 2017

"no man can replace peter capaldi" pic.twitter.com/0TWFhp1CT9

— Leigh Lahav (@leighlahav) July 16, 2017

Absolutely furious. Can't believe they've cast a human to play the Doctor.

— Matt Lucas (@RealMattLucas) July 16, 2017

I don’t remember these scenes…

— Geoff Lloyd (@GeoffLloyd) July 16, 2017

I'm absolutely for progress and inclusiveness but it is fair to worry when almost every ep of Doctor Who revolved around his big ol' dick

— Joss Whedon (@joss) July 16, 2017

But childhoods weren’t ruined until now:

— Charlotte (@CharlTaylorPage) July 16, 2017

Female reboots ruined your childhood Well, not having more than a handful of women superheroes to look up to ruined mine.

— Twitnter is Coming (@OhNoSheTwitnt) July 16, 2017

You can always tell when the casting of a woman has ruined a man's childhood because he reverts back to it with such fervor

— Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) July 17, 2017

Inevitably, the Ghostbusters reboot/sequel/whatever had to come up:

— grace ✨ GOT spoilers (@andlivefromny) July 16, 2017

I assume the female Doctor teams up with lady Ghostbusters and Rey and they just, like, laugh at men's dicks

— maura quint (@behindyourback) July 16, 2017

First ghostbusters, then Wonder Woman, then a girl alien Whats next, female balloons Woman sand A girl alphabet Women can't be balloons

— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) July 16, 2017

First, they came for the Ghostbusters, and I said nothing. Then, they came for Dr. Who, and I said nothing. Because I'm a sane, adult human.

— Adam Proteau (@Proteautype) July 16, 2017

Others made silly puns:

— andy levy (@andylevy) July 16, 2017

It’s a Doctor Who special on Christmas Eve, not a Doctor Who special on Christmas Steve.

— Joel Watson (@hijinksensue) July 16, 2017

*Enters mind of someone who objects to woman taking role of Doctor Who*

"Wow, it's so much smaller on the inside"#DoctorWho13

— Peter Broks (@peterbroks) July 16, 2017

And more reactions kept pouring in.

— Friz Frizzle (@FrizFrizzle) July 16, 2017

So many great Doctor Who's over the years hard to choose just one pic.twitter.com/NbubXyLUUt

— Kibblesmith ⚔️ (@kibblesmith) July 16, 2017

Attack The Block (2011): The Doctor teams up with renegade former First Order stormtrooper Finn to protect South London from aliens. pic.twitter.com/lqelZdXf9m

— Tom Phillips (@flashboy) July 16, 2017

Oh great, now the TARDIS is going to be full of…*googles women*…a uterus

— sweaty five dollars (@iscoff) July 16, 2017

I wish I could go back in time and tell my young nerd self that she's not going to have to pretend to be the boys forever. pic.twitter.com/YX8ti03jRe

— Mackenzi Lee (@themackenzilee) July 16, 2017

Daleks Announce That Gender of Dr. Who Has No Bearing on Their Desire to Exterminate

— (((Mark Campbell))) (@MrWordsWorth) July 16, 2017

Interesting how the Doctor Who casting announcement reflects real life issues such as time travel, as most comments about it date from 1534.

— Anwen (@Kyatic) July 16, 2017

me before reading the comments: oh cool the new Doctor Who is a woman

me after reading the comments: i hope Doctor Who is never a man again

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) July 16, 2017