Doctor Who’s Jo Martin wants a return – or a spin-off – for her Fugitive Doctor

Since then, Martin has become a fan-favourite, with many Whovians desperate to see her Doctor again – and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com for International Women’s Day, Martin said that she’s hoping she’ll play the first black female Doctor at least once more.

“Of course, of course,” Martin said, when asked if she’d return to the BBC sci-fi series.

“What’s not to like about that? I would absolutely love it. And they’ve got John Bishop there now, haven’t they? I’m a big fan of his. I want a scene with him.”

She added: “I think there’s so much more story. What they set up opens up a world that we’ve not fully explored with Doctor Who yet.

“And you don’t want to waste that costume. You know what I mean? That costume – it’s a real waste of a costume because it’s so swaggy, as they say. So I think that costume needs to get worn again by me.”

And if there isn’t space for the ‘Fugitive’ Doctor in the next series, well, Martin has another pitch for showrunner Chris Chibnall – why not see her adventures in a brand new Doctor Who spin-off?

“You can have a world of different spin-offs and things happening, and they’re all part of the same world. Like Marvel,” she told RadioTimes.com.

“Chris, get me a spin-off. I’m ready! But no, I would love to [return]. Let’s see what the future holds. Never say never.

“I mean, I’m quite busy at the moment, but if Doctor Who calls, I’ll tell you, I’m there in a jiffy. I’ll get my Spanx on.”

Once upon a time, Martin would never have believed playing a female Doctor was an option for her – and in our International Women’s Day interview she revealed that even after the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, she didn’t see it as something she’d be considered for.

“I just thought… number one, the tokenism thing will happen, where you go, ‘Well, we’ll have one female Doctor, just to keep us all happy, and the little ladies will quieten down, and we can go back to our real Doctor Who male figure,’” Martin told RadioTimes.com.

“So part of me felt like, ‘She might be the only one for a long while, because they’ll feel like that’s enough for us.’ That happens with a lot of black actors. They’ve given it to one, and that’s enough. You can all run along now. It’s all done and dusted.

“So to bring another woman on? I was just like, ‘What are the odds that it’s going to be me?’ A black woman? A black middle-aged woman? Which is also pretty key.

“Hats off to them,” she continued. “I mean, they’ve set the standard. They have absolutely set the standard. Even if you’re going to cast a woman, or even a black woman, you’d think they’d get a youngster, because you become invisible again after a certain age.

“Once we’re past 40, we’re supposed to disappear again, aren’t we? We’re not flashing our chests and doing bum shots, and being the girlfriend or the wife, or being boring.

“So for them to give that to a woman like me, I just think it’s ground-breaking, and I think that everyone needs to have a look. And let’s move on, because you’re wasting so much talent. What a waste.

“When you consider how much sci-fi is out there – oh my goodness – and the little role women have in it, and it’s always in conjunction with the man’s story, the man’s journey. And I’ve had enough of that. I want our story. Let us lead some of these shows. Come on! It’s time. Let’s open it up. Because it’s far richer for everyone.”

And if one of those shows happened to be a Fugitive Doctor spin-off? Somehow, we don’t think anybody would mind…

See what Jo Martin had to say in our Doctor Who International Women’s Day feature, online now.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One later this year. Check out more Sci-Fi fun on our Sci-Fi and Fantasy page, or find something else to watch in our TV Guide.