WATCH: ‘Doctor Who’ Reveals First Female Doctor in 54-Year History

Actress Jodie Whittaker to Play 13th Doctor

The BBC’s science-fiction television series “Doctor Who,” which first aired in 1963, announced today that its titular character will be a woman for the first time in its history. 

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The series “depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called ‘The Doctor,’ an extraterrestrial being [that] explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS” and is a celebrated staple in both American and British culture.

Jodie Whittaker will be the first woman to assume the role, portraying the thirteenth incarnation of the show’s Doctor. The series transitions between actors, a plot point of the show known as the “concept of regeneration.”

Whittakker told the BBC “it’s more than an honor to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”

Previous show leads and fans alike have called for the series to cast a woman in the role for some time, but unsurprisingly, the news hasn’t been met positively by all. But as one Twitter exchange played out:

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