'Doctor Who': The Internet Reacts to the Thirteenth Doctor's Debut

The Doctor returned on Christmas Day for the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special and, after a lengthy discussion with his original self, he finally decided to let go of himself and regenerate into a new iteration.

That thirteenth iteration of the Doctor is played by Jodie Whitaker, who made her official debut in Doctor Who in the final few moments of "Twice Upon a Time." Whitaker is the first woman to ever play the role of the Doctor, meaning this a moment 50 years in the making for many Doctor Who fans.

Considering all of that, it should be expected that the Doctor Who fandom had some strong responses to the Thirteenth Doctor's appearance, with many fighting back tears, both for Whitaker's arrival and Peter Capaldi's departure. Many latched on to the Thirteenth Doctor's first words, "Oh, brilliant!" Others were nearly speechless with joy.

Here's a sampling:

Whitaker's Thirteenth Doctor will take over the proper Doctor Who series beginning with the Doctor Who Season 11 premiere. This will also be the first episode for new showrunner Chris Chibnall, replacing Seven Moffat. The Thirteenth Doctor will be joined by three supporting cast members in the TARDIS: Bradley Walsh as Graham, Mandip Gill as Yasmin, and Tosin Cole as Ryan.

Production on the eleventh season of Doctor Who began in November. The series is expected to debut sometime in 2018 and to run for 10 episodes. Rumor has it that Doctor Who will undergo some changes under Chibnall, including a new TARDIS set – which is to be expected and seemingly confirmed by the "explosive" ending to the Christmas Speical – and a longer episode runtime, though these changes have not been confirmed.

In the meantime, if you're still missing the Twelfth Doctor, you can revisit Peter Capaldi's 10 best Doctor Who episodes, or if you're sad to see Moffat go you can take a look at his 10 best Doctor Who episodes as well. Or, if you're still in the Christmas spirit, check out our ranking of every Doctor Who Christmas Special.