First look: See Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who
The doctor is in. Long-running BBC sci-fi series "Doctor Who" has dropped its first look at Jodie Whittaker as the title character. A previous trailer showed Whittaker in clothing that was not part of her official Doctor Who outfit.
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 Peter Capaldi wrapped Season 10 in July.
The "Doctor Who" Twitter account posted a photo of Whittaker with the tag line, "New series. New Doctor. New look!" In the photo, Whittaker wears teal culottes with suspenders underneath a beige trench coat. She stands in front of the iconic TARDIS (a time machine called Time And Relative Dimension In Space) from the show.
In 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.
