Jodie Whittaker makes onscreen debut as Doctor Who

After much buzz, Jodie Whittaker finally made her debut on "Doctor Who" as the first female Doctor. Peter Capaldi, who played the 12th Doctor Who, passed on the reins to Whittaker during the Christmas special of the show. 

The final scene of Monday's episode showed Capaldi's Doctor Who making one last speech before bursting into flames of regeneration and turning into Whittaker's new Doctor. When Whittaker emerges, she looks shocked and says with a smile, "Oh, brilliant," before the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) explodes, propelling her character into space as the show fades to a title card that says "To be continued." 

Whittaker is the 13th Doctor Who in the show's history, and the first female Doctor Who ever. The actress is taking the reins after Capaldi wrapped Season 10 in July. The Christmas special marked a transition between the two Doctors.

In the upcoming Season 11, Whittaker will be joined by cast mates Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill.

"Doctor Who" first made its debut on British television in 1963. 

Whittaker's casting has stirred some controversy. She told the Radio Times in July that she hopes the show's longtime fans won't be "scared by my gender."

"Because this is a really exciting time, and 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," she said.

The casting caused a rift between two previous Doctor Whos. 

Peter Davison, who played the role in the 1980s, told the Press Association, "If I feel any doubts, it's the loss of a role model for boys, who I think Doctor Who is vitally important for. So I feel a bit sad about that, but I understand the argument that you need to open it up ... As a viewer, I kind of like the idea of the Doctor as a boy but then maybe I'm an old fashioned dinosaur – who knows?"

But another Doctor Who, Colin Baker, hit back and said, "They've had 50 years of having a role model. So, sorry Peter, you're talking rubbish there – absolute rubbish. You don't have to be of a gender of someone to be a role model. Can't you be a role model as people?"

Other actors who played the role on TV were William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith.

The next season premieres in fall 2018.