Jodie Whittaker’s ‘Doctor Who’ Scores Highest Average Ratings for Series Since 2010

Doctor Who made history in 2018 when Jodie Whittaker became the first woman to play the titular Time Lord, and it looks like that spelled pretty great things in terms of ratings.

According to a new report from British Telecommunications PLC, Doctor Who‘s eleventh season has earned the show’s highest average TV audience for nearly a decade. Whittaker’s first ten episodes as the Doctor averaged 7.7 million viewers, which is the largest average since Matt Smith’s inaugural season in 2010.

Whittaker’s debut as the Doctor was almost universally-praised by fans and critics alike, with the series becoming Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. As the season went on, fans began to grow even more fond of Whittaker’s Doctor, something that the actress had hoped for when she stepped into the role.

“It’s more than an honor to play the Doctor.” Whittaker said in an interview last year. “It means remembering everyone I used to be while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”

“It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be.” Whittaker continued. “It feels incredible.”

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little while to see Whittaker return to the role after this January’s Halloween special, with Season 12 not debuting until 2020.

“We’re off again!” showrunner Chris Chibnall said in the new season announcement. “Well we never actually stopped – as Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and friends have been winning the hearts of families across the nation this autumn, we’ve been busy with a whole new set of action-packed adventures for the Thirteenth Doctor. We adore making this show and have been blown away by the response from audiences, so we can’t wait to bring more scares, more monsters and more Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole to BBC One. Brilliant!”

“We’re delighted that the Doctor and her friends will be returning to thrill audiences in 2020,” Charlotte Moore, BBC director of content. “I know Chris and the whole team are already working on a whole new set of exciting adventures. In the meantime we’ve got a very special episode on New Year’s Day for everyone to enjoy.”

The Doctor Who holiday special airs January 1st on BBC. After that, Season 12 will premiere sometime in 2020.