Jodie Whittaker Becomes First Female ‘Doctor Who’

On Christmas Day, BBC delivered some major news.

Jodie Whittaker Doctor Who role news

Jodie Whittaker has officially replaced Peter Capaldi in the lead role of the hit science-fiction series Doctor Who.

At the end of the one-hour special broadcast on Monday, Scotsman Capaldi “regenerated” into 35-year-old English actress Whittaker, who is now the first woman to play the famous time-traveling character. Running since 1963, Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi series in the world and airs to dozens of territories globally. Whittaker will be the 13th Doctor of the series.

Whittaker was chosen by new show-runner Chris Chibnall, who took over the series after the departure of Steven Moffat. Chibnall has already penned a number of episodes for Doctor Who, including stories for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor, played by David Tennant (Jessica Jones) and Matt Smith (The Crown), respectively.

Chibnall is perhaps best known for creating Broadchurch, which was remade in the U.S. as Gracepoint (and also starred Tennant) and in France as Malaterra. The show ran for three seasons in the UK and also featured Whittaker in a major role.

In a spectacular final 80 seconds, Whittaker’s new Doctor said just two words: “Oh, brilliant!” This came after a moment of quiet in the TARDIS after Capaldi’s explosive regeneration, which saw his trademark ring fall to the ground after the change.

Fans of the show will have to wait some time for the next season, however, as it doesn’t air until fall 2018. The season will feature ten episodes instead of the usual 12, although they will be slightly longer.

U.K. game show host/singer Bradley Walsh and actors Tosin Cole (who played a Resistance pilot in Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Mandip Gill (known for starring in the long-running Brit teen soap Hollyoaks) and Sharon D Clarke (who debuted in the 1988 BBC miniseries The Singing Detective) complete the lineup for the new Doctor Who in 2018.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 02: Jodie Whittaker attends the Classic BRIT Awards 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall on October 2, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)