A woman cast as the 13th Doctor: Jodie Whittaker named the new ‘Doctor Who’

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Congratulations, Doctor Who fans! You’ve finally gotten a new Doctor! And it’s not a white dude! I guess I have my blinders on when it comes to certain shows/fan-groups, because I didn’t even know/remember that Peter Capaldi (the 12th Doctor) was leaving. No, wait, I did know that, didn’t I? Did I? I remember hearing that he wasn’t going to stay much longer, but I guess I forgot that the replacement would be happening so soon. Anyway, shortly after the Wimbledon Men’s Final yesterday, the new Doctor Who was announced. It’s a lady! Here’s the announcement video:

The actress’s name is Jodie Whittaker and she’s 35 years old. She’s got a great look too, I think – she’s not a bombshell but she’s very beautiful in an interesting way. She’s the first woman to play The Doctor, and her casting comes after years of fans dreamcasting the role as anyone other than a white dude. The fact that a cisgendered white woman with blondish hair was cast doesn’t feel like a gigantic victory, but still… the Whovians will be happy with whomever, I hope. From the BBC:

Whittaker said it felt “incredible” to take on the role, saying: “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.”

And she told fans not to be “scared” by her gender.

“Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change,” she said, adding: “The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

[From BBC]

Jodie will also be the first Doctor Who not written by noted sexist mansplainer Steven Moffat in five years, because Moffat is leaving the show at the same time as Peter Capaldi. It’s funny – Moffat torpedoed Sherlock as a series with the last season, and now he’s going to be out of a job at Doctor Who? What’s he going to do all day?

Anyway, I’m happy for all of the Whovians. You finally have a badass female Doctor!

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Photos courtesy of the BBC and WENN.

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81 Responses to “A woman cast as the 13th Doctor: Jodie Whittaker named the new ‘Doctor Who’”

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  1. Jamie42 says:

    She was terrific in Broadchurch.

  2. Diana says:

    Yay!! I’m so happy! Jodie Whittaker was great in Broadchurch (even the rubbish second series). I haven’t watched Dr who in ages but I’m feeling excited about tuning in now!

    • MrsJonSnow says:

      I also loved her in Broadchurch. Sigh….. David Tennant. So I think she is going to be so good as The Doctor.

  3. Nicole says:

    There are no words for how excited I am for the 13th Doctor. I legit screamed seeing the announcement on twitter.
    Then I rejoiced in the (mostly) white male tears. Same thing as last season when they were mad about the last companion (who was badass btw) It’s always amazing to see such a meltdown while in the next breath they will call others snowflakes. Masculinity so fragile

    • Sixer says:

      The Twatter was a source of endless hilarity yesterday, non?

      And we know those who were wallowing amid the fountain of manly tears of fury don’t even watch the show. Because, as I was told by Minor, they all spelled it Dr Who and apparently every Whovian bar me knows that this is the biggest no-no ever. Informed of this, I checked on the Twatter and lo, it was so. Two trends: the Doctor Who one was filled with happiness and the Dr Who one was filled with angry basement dwellers threatening never to pay their BBC licence fee again.

      You live and learn! And snigger!

      • BritAfrica says:

        Lol Sixer, I didn’t even notice that when I was reading the reactions. Thanks, I’ll look out for that now.

        I knew there would be tears so I couldn’t resist a visit to Twitter to view the meltdown. I will deliberately watch the next series of Doctor Who just to stick it to them!

      • Sixer says:

        I love the “I won’t pay my licence fee” for any little thing.

      • BritAfrica says:

        Lol….poor dears – still pretending that they have a choice….

  4. ArchieGoodwin says:

    It’s a start. It starts the conversation. At least. Now they have the opportunity to make her companion diverse, so let’s hope they get the memo.

    Congrats to her, it’s a great role to land.

    • Amberica says:

      The latest companion was a black lesbian. They’ll probably go with a male to keep the dynamic, but who knows.

    • Megan says:

      Given all the life forms encountered on the show, I’ve never understood what the Doctor is always a human man and why his companion is always a human woman.

      • zenkitty says:

        No Megan, not all the companions have been female nor human for that matter, especially in Classic Who. And the Doctor is NOT human!

  5. Nyawira says:

    I saw this story on Daily Fail. The thumbnail was a full naked pic of her from behind and a smaller one of her naked boobs with a black bar on them. The caption was some gloating crap about her being the new Doctor Nude….haahaa. Daily Mail is one of the most read online publications, if not the top most read. Equality is still far off.

    • LAK says:

      That was one of many articles they wrote about her.

      The first was a standard announcement article.

      Then an article about her career.

      Then an article with naked pictures which is the one you are referencing.

      Then a pap stalker article with pictures of her tryi g to have a normal sunday with her husband and daughter.

      Soon there will be an article about her sexuality and that will be the final anointing of her as an A Lister.

      • BritAfrica says:

        Wow…the Daily Fail never….well….fails to deliver from the sewers.

        This actor got the lead in a show – that’s all. Nothing else to it – actors do it every single day.

        But they just had to go looking for a nude photo with which to run her down. Again…wow….

  6. PunkyMomma says:

    I’m so thrilled about her casting.

  7. Dorothy#1 says:

    I’m sad peter Capaldi is leaving! He was amazing even given some shoddy material. I was hoping David tenant would come back (I know, just a pipe dream). I hope she does a good job.

  8. Jaii says:

    Her acting on Broadchurch was amazing esp the dealing with the death of Danny and the fall out of her marriage to Mark. And, now she’s working under Chris again, and knowing from Broadchurch the characters he can write , I cannot wait for #13 ! Also I was just so bloody relieved it wasn’t Chris Marshall!

  9. Kiki says:

    I am really happy for Jodie Whittaker and being the first female Dr. Who. This is truly a joy to watch. Now, what I want to complete my entertainment universe, I wish for a Black James Bond.

  10. Bethy says:

    The ‘outrage’ of some of the dudes on my friends list was funny, but made me realize if they were this upset that a woman was the Doctor…it’s no wonder Hillary didn’t win.

    Speaking as a Whovian, I’m very excited about this casting. I really stopped watching with Matt Smith (didn’t care for him) but went back for Capaldi (he’s great, but the writing was horrible). So I’m ecstatic we have a new show runner and 13 is a woman.

    • Jerusha says:

      I didn’t like Matt Smith at first(he took over from MY Doctor), but I warmed to him. The writing started to get REALLY bad during the Clara years. I like Capaldi very much, but the scripts did him no favors.
      It’s weird because when Russell Davies was running the show, Moffat’s scripts were some of the best and won awards. Maybe Russell kept him in line.

      • Veronica says:

        Moffat is a misogynist hack, that’s why. Nearly all of his content has to be thoroughly edited by other people for it to be even remotely original or engaging. I actually know people who outright boycotted the show while he was showrunner because they got so fed up with the writing of the female characters. (These weren’t “radical feminists,” either. They’d been watching the show for years.)

        [/bitter fan]

    • Digital Unicorn (aka Betti) says:

      Matt Smith grew on me as the Dr but my fave from the new series is always David Tennant.

      ITA, Moffat jumped the shark with plots the min he introduced Clara. The fanboys LOVE HER but I found her to be quite annoying. Am glad Moffat went, shame we won’t be able to see what Capaldi can do with better scripts to work with. And I hope Missy stays – LOVE her.

      • hmmm says:

        I hated Clara with the heat of a thousand suns, but then, I didn’t like Rose either. Loved Donna. And then they took away her brain and memories. Brutal. Sigh.

      • Snazzy says:

        @hmmm, I didn’t like Rose either. Like you, I much preferred Donna. I also loved Rory and Amy

      • frisbee says:

        My all time fave was David Tennant, when he left I totally lost interest couldn’t get into the Matt Guy and had probs taking to Peter Capaldi who will always be Malcolm Tucker (even though he’s such a good actor and is obviously capable of more than that). Looking forward to getting back into it with Jodie Whittaker now – its long overdue

      • hmmm says:

        @Snazzy,

        Sad to say, I didn’t like Amy either. All 3 of the unlikeables put me off with their tics and mannerisms, and totally obnoxious personalities. Rory was fine and I really liked Bill, who was natural and a relatable human being like Donna. But my gosh, some of the stories over the years. I suffered. Lots. Of course, one of my old favourites was Leela. Talk about badass!

      • Amberica says:

        Most fan boys despise Clara. I liked her, and I got ripped for it.

  11. grabbyhands says:

    “I’m not a sexist but…..” neckbeards everywhere today, right before they mansplain why the Doctor CAN’T be a woman and why this decision has basically ruined the show and their whole lives, ’cause I’m pretty sure they’re painting the Tardis pink and now it will just be about her having her period all over space and time, or something.

    Every time I think masculinity can’t be more fragile, men surprise me.

    She was great in Attack the Block (requisite this is a great movie and everyone should see it) and Broadchurch.

    • Nicole says:

      Love attack the block. Early John boyega as well!

    • Anitas says:

      Haha, my favourite is “they should make a Mr Marple now”, like that’s even remotely similar lol

    • third ginger says:

      Yes. Highly recommend ATTACK THE BLOCK!

    • hmmm says:

      You know what? Why can’t the TARDIS be pink if the Doctor wants it pink? But the fact is, the Doctor transcends masculinity and femininity, while the fanboys are still just …boys. I grew up watching the show, and males never had and don’t have a monopoly on it. Who the hell do they think they are?

      As for her period- it has magical powers and they fear it. LOL

    • Izzy says:

      Yes, because I’m sure those fragile menfolk are the EXPERTS in “why fictional traveling time lords MUST be male only.” Seriously, they never even stop and think about the level of ridiculous they’ve reached.

      I spent a good half hour yesterday on Facebook, reading my friends’ comments making fun of those fragile snowflakes. We all had a great laugh about it, as we should. Right before we tune every TV we own to the next series to bump the ratings!

  12. Zuzus Girl says:

    Didn’t like her at all in Broadchurch but I’m glad they are casting a female Dr. this time. Hope it works out.

    • Persophone says:

      Same, hoping I just didn’t connect with her Broadchurch character and she does great as the Doctor.

  13. seesittellsit says:

    Sighs. I know I’m going to get it for this, but I’ve always thought Dr. Who overrated and at this point, it looks very limp, which is why I think it has to change “Dr.s” so often. It’s one of those things that got to be iconic and now, despite being well past its sell date, it’s impossible to get rid of. It’s a bit like watching those old Star Treks from the 1960s. I think she was wonderful in Broadchurch, nothing against her, but it’s not going to be enough for me to head back to the series. I absolutely adored Chris Eccleston (I think one of the UK’s most unsung fine actors), ditto Capaldi, and the lineup of most of the other Drs. and I still couldn’t watch it. I think they keep changing the Dr. hoping to re-energize the series, but it’s not the Dr., it’s the series.

  14. Veronica says:

    Hah. I literally just commented the other day to a friend that I didn’t understand how people could still get excited about the Doctor Who casting when it was literally just thirty years of dorky looking white dudes.

    • seesittellsit says:

      @Veronica – reducing actors of the calibre of Christopher Eccleston and Peter Capaldi to just “dorky looking white dudes” is like reducing a Porsche to just a “collection of metal parts”. These were fine actors, and so were most of the ones who preceded them in the role.

      The series is what’s dorky and way past its sell date. Good actors took it on. It’s still past its sell date, and it will still be past its sell date when the Dr. is a good female actor instead of a good male actor.

      You should re-watch the original “Prime Suspect” and see Capaldi’s incredible and really sad portrayal of the transvestite hooker. “Dorky looking white dude”, yeah, really.

      • Jerusha says:

        Or go all the way back to the sublime Local Hero(1983). 24 year old Capaldi plays a company man who falls for a girl with webbed feet. He was wonderful in his second film. And what a head of hair then!
        Check out the resumes of these actors, Veronica. They’ve done lots of good stuff.

    • Grumpy says:

      55 years. Doctor Who aired for the first time the day after President Kennedy was assassinated.

      They may share a skin colour but you do them a disservice to reduce them to that feature and see that as the defining feature to dismiss them by – if you couldn’t be excited by a Tom Baker or a Jon Pertwee or any of the others then that is sad for you. Personally I prefer the 70s and 80s style to the current format. Those cliffhanger episodes were great.

  15. 1979 says:

    Part of me wants to cry,”but she’s not ginger”. The Doctor always wanted to be ginger…

    She will do just fine as long as the writing improves.

    Anyway, I have two young boys perfectly happy that the new doctor will be a woman. It’s a bit of a relief because thay hated Peter Calpaldi. They loved Matt Smith so found the change a little hard.

    One thing I hope they don’t do is bring back Bill and have her fall in love with the doctor. I personally hate it when they do that to companions. I’d rather see two women traveling through time and space being bad ass and saving the hapless male companion, who really only there for exposition and to look pretty.

  16. Anitas says:

    I love Capaldi and was really sad to see him go. But this is great! Not least for the Daily Fail readership meltdown, so delicious. She looks familiar but I can’t remember seeing her in anything (haven’t watched Broadchurch).

  17. TeamAwesome says:

    My Book of Face was full up with white lady tut tutting disappointment. And yes, dear reader, they DID vote for Trump. How very dare an alien not be cast as a white dude!

    I am cautiously excited for this. I hope she’s a ginger. Matt Smith’s promo and his final look as the Doctor were different looks, so it could happen!
    We could have had a girl power lady tag team with Bill, but alas. I will be interested to see how this might change the dynamic with the companion(s). And would love to see her interact with River!!

  18. Miss M says:

    I am happy for her, but…Does it mean there is no chance Broadchurch will have another season? 😢
    Ps: On a vapid note- I think she is prettier as a brunette

  19. Digital Unicorn (aka Betti) says:

    So pleased about her casting – she’s going to really widen the audience appeal gap as it went too far into fandom territory. Moffat is not the great writer he thinks he is – Gatiss is better, much better.

    So we have a female Dr and companion – ‘who runs the universe, GIRL’s!!’

  20. Mia4s says:

    Man I will miss Capaldi like crazy but they all seem to be doing about three series so his departure makes sense, and he’s so good I can’t wait to see what he does next.

    Nice to see some outside the box thinking! I don’t know her work at all (I can’t recall her from Broadchurch but I only watched the first series and one time), but I’m intrigued.

    • Anitas says:

      I’m currently rewatching The Thick Of It – it helps to get over the Doctor change.

      • seesittellsit says:

        @Anitas – OMG! When I watched “The Thick of It” I could not believe that even in Europe this made it to prime time. The whole cast was tremendous but I felt sorry for anyone who had to share a screen with Capaldi’s searing, foul-mouthed, terrifying, amoral Malcolm Tucker!

        And I can’t tell you how many times, at my office, I’ve muttered under my breath, “Where is Malcolm Tucker when you really need him”?

    • Miss M says:

      She was Danny’s mom. She was brunette on the show.

  21. D says:

    Someone wrote that now would be a great time to re watch “Attack the Block”, because you get to see Finn from Star Wars fight Aliens with Doctor Who. I like it! 🙂

  22. hmmm says:

    I am beyond thrilled. Been a fan since the Tom Baker days. So freaking THRILLED. (Love, loved Capaldi. Thanks for the memories.)

  23. Lucy says:

    Don’t watch DW but still yayyy!!

  24. The New Classic says:

    I really, really, really wanted Andrew Lee Potts to be the new Doctor. I love him as an actor and think the role was just made for him. But if it can’t be him, I’m thrilled that the part was given to a woman. I look forward to what is ahead!

  25. nicegirl says:

    My son is gonna flip his shiznit over this, he will be thrilled with the new dr!!

  26. Tiffany says:

    The blond hair threw me off when I watched the announcement. I am so use to see her as a brunette. I wish that was her hair color for the series.

  27. Chinoiserie says:

    “The fact that a cisgendered white woman with blondish hair was cast doesn’t feel like a gigantic victory, but still…”

    This is kind of a problem with driverse casting. The point is that it should be open to everyone (at least with roles like this) with some extra consideration for those that are usually overlooked. But you shouldn’t have a check list of all the qualities you feel you would like to see at once, it can create a mess. And this should be a positive moment not muddled by feeling that it’s not a “Gigantic victory”. It is victory in the first place only after we have seen the result anyway artistically.

  28. lucy2 says:

    I’ve never watched the show and I’m not familiar with this actress, but I think it’s great news! My understanding of it is that the Dr. regenerates into a new body every so often? It’s insane it’s always been white men up to this point.

    • Amberica says:

      Well it started in the 1960s, and took like 15 years off at one point. There’s always been talk of making her female, but given the horrible reactions, I see why it took so long. So much fragile masculinity out there. I’ve been told it was “sacrosanct”. Before they mansplained the (incorrect) definition of the word.

  29. Adrien says:

    And suddenly a lot of people stateside cared about Dr. Who. I thought my friends on socmed were having a GoT viewing party? Instead, a lot of them had conversations about a show they never watch.

  30. Ollie says:

    I’m not feeling it altrough it is a nice change. But to be fair i lost interest after David Tennant left and just watched two episodes after that. One with that Matt guy and Garibaldi or what his name is. I wasn’t hooked by them.
    I’m afraid they will couple her with a young guy who will get most screentime.

  31. Sara says:

    “Cisgendered”… sigh. So it’d be a bigger victory if a biological man had been cast? For the 13th time?

  32. Jay (the Canadian one) says:

    I trust they know how to find good actors so I have no worries about Jodie Whittaker. And Broadchurch and Torchwood were good so I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of the show, but I can’t stop thinking how everyone was so excited when the guy who wrote episodes like Blink and The Empty Child (i.e. Moffat) took over. I’m sure the first season will be good but if Chinball starts to phone it in like Moffat does I hope he has the grace to hand the baton on showrunning duties sooner.

  33. Emily says:

    “Jodie will also be the first Doctor Who not written by…”

    Jodie will also be the first Doctor not written by…

    FYFY

    The Doctor is his/her name. Doctor Who is the name of the show.

  34. phaedra7 says:

    Jodie played with Tom Hiddleston in “Return to Cranford” ( a mini series) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Cranford and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMvcFfIQNtQ%5D. She’s a very talented actress, imo.

  35. TotallyBiased says:

    YAY!
    That is all.

  36. zenkitty says:

    Why is it that all objections to the Doctor being female are automatically labelled as sexist?!! I grew up in the 80’s, hiding behind the lounge whenever the Daleks came on the telly, and absolutely idolising the Doctor. As a little girl, the Doctor was my hero – I never felt the need for that hero to be female, as there were plenty of strong female characters in the show (Sarah Jane, Romana, Leela etc) for me to look up to.

    Doctor Who was a HUGE part of my childhood, and I loved that the BBC brought it back. I was a dedicated watcher of the new series, but started to become disillusioned with it towards the end of David Tennant’s reign. I hung on throughout Matt Smith’s tenure, but gave up on it not long after Peter Capaldi took over. Too many changes took the show away from what made it Doctor Who for me (not too mention the deterioration in the scripts).

    So the news that the new Doctor is going to be female is the final nail in the coffin for me as far as Doctor Who is concerned. And I understand why so many people are taking this change so hard. It has nothing to do with sexism – and has everything to do with the fact that we feel our childhood hero is being f*cked with! And for what, political correctness?

    For me, and for a lot of other fans of the show, the Doctor has and should always be an eccentric white guy with a British accent. They could have easily brought in a female Time Lord, or even created a whole spin-off show around one – which would have been awesome. But instead they choose to change a fundamental aspect of a character that has been a television icon for 50-odd years!!! That is why so many fans are up in arms over this!