The Doctor is in — sci-fi television series “Doctor Who” has a new Doctor, and for the first time in the show’s history, she’s a woman.
Since the long-running program debuted in 1963, 12 actors have held the leading role of the Doctor, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. As a regenerating extraterrestrial, the Doctor has returned from the point of death 11 times, each time with a different body and personality (and with a taste for uniquely eccentric wardrobe choices). But for over 50 years, every regenerated Doctor was steadfastly male.
That changed yesterday (July 16), when BBC One announced the identity of the 13th Doctor, to be played by British actress Jodie Whittaker (“Broadchurch” and “Black Mirror”). She replaces actor Peter Capaldi, who joined the show as the 12th Doctor in 2013, and who will be departing at Christmas, BBC representatives said in a statement.