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Originally Posted by Damien
Does it have to be a man? (by which I mean as part of the lore).
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It has never been established that Gallifreyans can be trans-gender. Males and females other than the Doctor have been shown regenerating and none has ever changed sex.
Given that Time Lords have familial relations, it would be a bit odd if they were prone to sudden sex changes and arguably their society would not readily use fixed gender references like "man" and "woman".
It hasn't been explicitly established that they cannot change sex, but it is implicit in so much of the show's lore that casting a woman now would require far too much explaining.
Besides, there are certain constants about the doctor's personality that survive each regeneration, personality traits that make him inherently male, rather than female. Each successive male actor has been recognisably playing the same character. I'm not convinced that would be the case if the role went to a woman.
The only reason for casting a woman would be for a massive publicity stunt. There is no "need", either in-universe or out, to do it. It's not as if the show hasn't had its share of female role models.