Doctor Who Announces Jodie Whitaker As Thirteenth Doctor

Get ready Doctor Who fans because the new Doctor is in.

The BBC today announced that Jodie Whitaker will take over the Thirteenth Doctor when Doctor Who returns for its eleventh season, becoming the first ever female Doctor in the show’s 50-year history. She will be taking over for Peter Capaldi, who will say his goodbye as the Twelfth Doctor in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special “The Doctors.”

Whitaker is best known for her role on Broadchurch, which was created by Chris Chibnall. Chibnall will take over as showrunner of Doctor Who with the eleventh season.

Capaldi took over as The Doctor in Season 8, after Matt Smith’s departure. After three seasons, he will depart the show alongside showrunner Steven Moffat, who has steered the series since Season 5. Moffat was a breakout writer during the Russell T. Davies seasons of Doctor Who.

Moffat will be handing the reins over to Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall for Doctor Who Season 11. Chibnall is a longtime Doctor Who fan who also wrote for the series during the Russell T. Davies era and was head writer on the Doctor Who spinoff series Torchwood.

Doctor Who Season 10 introduced Pearl Mackie as the new companion, Bill Potts, replacing the previous companion, Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald, who left after Season 9. The Doctor Who Season 10 finale left Bill Potts’ fate very much in her own hands, making it unclear as to whether she will join the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who‘s eleventh season.

The Doctor Who Christmas Special will air on the BBC and BBC America on Christmas Day.