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.
List of Doctor Who cast members
Both Capaldi and Coleman reprised their roles as the Doctor and Clara during the ninth series in 2015, with Coleman departing at the end of that year. Coleman was replaced by Pearl Mackie, who was introduced as Bill Potts. Jodie Whittaker took over the lead role of the Doctor from Peter Capaldi in the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time". Her first series as the Thirteenth Doctor began its broadcast in late 2018. Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill replaced Mackie and Lucas as the companions for the show.