In a series of thoughts on his official Tumblr, Neil Gaiman says that a black man was recently offered the role of the Doctor on Doctor Who.

The statement is significant because many have attacked Doctor Who’s showrunners for choosing a white male every single time they’ve had to choose a new actor or actress.

Wrote Gaiman, “I was rather disappointed that Paterson Joseph didn’t get it last time, although I’ve loved Matt’s Eleven.) And yes, I have no doubt there will be [a black Doctor]. (I know one black actor who was already offered the part of the Doctor, and who turned it down.) Just as there will be a female Doctor.”

It’s not clear whether Gaiman meant that it was for the 12th Doctor that a black man was offered the position or if it was for a previous Doctor.

Another unknown: Which black actor was offered the role.

Elsewhere in his post, Gaiman spoke about why he doesn’t think it’s time for a female doctor — yet. “Do I think it’s time to cast a woman as the Doctor? Not yet. Not quite… If I were show-running (I’m not) I wouldn’t cast a woman as the Doctor yet, and it would absolutely be on my list of things to do in the following regeneration. (I was the one who wrote the line about the Corsair changing gender on regeneration, in “The Doctor’s Wife” after all, and made it canon that Time Lords can absolutely change gender when they regenerate.) Some of that is stuff I’d find hard to articulate, mostly having to do with what kind of Doctor you follow Matt Smith’s Doctor with: someone harder and much older and more dangerous and, yes, male feels right to me, as a storyteller. Where you go after that, ah, that’s a whole new game…”

Gaiman has obviously put a lot of thought into this – you can read more of his opinions at this link.

As we reported over the weekend, Peter Capaldi was selected as the actor to play the 12th Doctor.