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It’s about time! The Doctor, the protagonist of the iconic British sci-fi series ‘Doctor Who’ will be played by Jodie Whittaker. After 12 doctors, 36 seasons and 824 episodes, the Doctor has finally been reborn as a woman.
The actress, best known for her role as Beth Latimer in the crime drama Broadchurch, which was also created by the new ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner Chris Chibnall, was unveiled as the 13th doctor in a clip played after the Wimbledon 2017 Men’s final.

Who is Jodie Whittaker?

Jodie Whittaker is an English Actress from Yorkshire, born in 1982. She made her professional debut as an actress back in 2005, starring in The Storm at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. She gained fame with her 2006 feature film debut Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. She was later acclaimed for her roles in the cult science fiction film ‘Attack the Block’, the Black Mirror episode “The Entire History of You” and of course, for her role in ‘Broadchurch’. Some of her other notable film credits include Spike Island opposite Emilia Clarke and the Black Sea with Jude Law.
Jodie married American actor, Christian Contreras in 2008 and the pair have a child together.

What can be expected of the new Doctor?

After staving off his regeneration for as long as possible, the Twelfth Doctor finally threw in the towel. After a heartfelt speech, Capaldi’s Doctor regenerated in the TARDIS control room. The new Doctor was astonished to see the face of a woman reflected on a TARDIS screen. In her first appearance as the Doctor, Jodie oozed many emotions such as surprise, bewilderment, and delight at once – all with a screen time of a scant few minutes!

The public reception

As the special ended, there was a lot of buzz around the casting and the change of gender. Social media’s filled with jokes, memes, applause and criticism. There have been varying reactions from all across the globe. The majority of fans appear to be excited about this bold new era in the Doctor’s life, while a sizeable and vocal minority have decried the gender-change as a ‘gimmick’ and the BBC giving in to ‘political correctness’.
The divisions in the fandom on the subject of a female Doctor had been brewing for a long time. Some fans long demanded a the female lead and applauded the show’s creators for their efforts at diversity on the show. In 2014, Michelle Gomez became the first female actress to play the Master, the Doctor’s fellow Time Lord and age-old antagonist. And the majority of the Doctor’s companions have been played by women as well, and have been depicted as strong female characters. So many fans have good reason to believe this latest change is a step in the right direction. On the other hand, there are plenty of other fans who have been adamant that the Doctor was never supposed to be anyone other than a male.
Nonetheless, detractors and fans alike had the perfect chance to make some less-than-original ‘women driver’ jokes about the new Doctor’s slight misadventure at the end of the special with the TARDIS!
There is still some time to go before we get to see Jodie’s first season as the Doctor on screen. Here’s hoping that no matter what, it proves to be a fun ride!