Jodie Whittaker
On 16 July 2017, Whittaker was announced as the Thirteenth Doctor in the science fiction television series "Doctor Who"; she is the first woman to play the title role. She had previously worked with incoming "Doctor Who" showrunner Chris Chibnall on "Broadchurch". She admitted that she had to "tell a lot of lies" after being cast to keep the information secret and used the codeword "Clooney" when talking about the role. She urged fans not to be afraid of her gender, saying ""Doctor Who" represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one." Chibnall said that he always wanted a woman for the part and that Whittaker was their first choice.
Doctor Who – The Companion Chronicles
The Companion Chronicles is an ongoing series of stories detailing adventures usually featuring the Doctor, as told by various former companions of his, with only one further voice actor taking part in the narration. It began in 2007 as a mini-series of four stories about adventures of the first four Doctors (none of whom appear in regular Big Finish audio plays, as William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee died before they began and Tom Baker had declined to participate at that time ), but its popularity ensured that it returned for a second mini-series, and then in July 2008 releases became monthly. The monthly series of Companion Chronicles ended in June 2014 but the range will continue with box set releases.