Although previous rumors suggested that a female Doctor was unlikely, the BBC has officially announced that actress Jodie Whittaker is set to portray the Thirteenth Doctor when Doctor Who returns next year.
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The news was officially announced following the Men’s Wimbledon Final today.
Meet the Thirteenth Doctor #DoctorWho #Doctor13 pic.twitter.com/wycdcneZ7o
— BBC One (@BBCOne) July 16, 2017
Over the past few months, plenty of actors and actresses have been rumored for the highly-coveted gig, including Chewing Gum actress Michaela Coel, in addition to Luke Treadaway (Fortitude) and Sacha Dhawan (Iron Fist), who were both said to be frontrunners for the part. Even more interesting was that, along with the rumors suggesting Treadaway and Dhawan were in contention for the gig, it was said that the producers had squashed the idea of bringing in a female Doctor, which following today’s news, has proven to be false.
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Whittaker, who is set to portray the first female Doctor on Doctor Who, is perhaps most known for her work on Broadchurch, where she played Beth Latimer; she has also appeared in Attack the Block and Black Mirror.
Chris Chibnall will take over showrunner duties on the forthcoming eleventh season of Doctor Who as Steven Moffat is set to depart the series following the Christmas Special, where the twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, is set to regenerate into Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor.
A return date for the series has yet to be revealed.