BRITISH actress Jodie Whittaker has been named as the thirteenth Doctor Who.
The announcement will both delight and stun fans as the iconic time traveller has, for the last five decades at least, been male.
Whittaker now takes up the mantle of a character who has become a fixture in British culture and global science fiction fandom.
She replaces actor Peter Capaldi, who has been in the role since 2013.
The change of actor within the Doctor Who narrative was a plot conceit established in the 1960s when the actor who originated the character, William Hartnell, became ill and was unable to continue working on the series.
Known as "regeneration", it saw Hartnell stagger into his London police box time machine, the Tardis, and collapse; when the shimmering light subsided, actor Patrick Troughton was in his place.
Though the character of The Doctor has always regenerated into a new face, he has until now retained his gender.
In the last decade, however, there has been persistent speculation that a future incarnation of The Doctor might be female.
That notion was etched into the show's narrative when the role of The Doctor's recurring nemesis, The Master, another "Time Lord", was re-cast with Michelle Gomez.
That move effectively changing the character from The Master to her new name, "Missy", and established that a change of gender during regeneration was possible.
Like The Doctor, The Master had been previously played by men, notably the brilliant Roger Delgado, the somewhat more Bond villain-esque Anthony Ainley and, more recently, by John Simm.
"I'm beyond excited to begin this epic journey, with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet," Whittaker said in a statement released by the BBC.
Whovians are diehard Doctor Who fans, along the same line as Star Trek's Trekkers.
"It's more than an honour to play the Doctor," Whittaker added. "It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can't wait."
The change of Doctor comes as executive producer and showrunner Steven Moffat is bowing out, to be replaced by Chris Chibnall.
Whittaker's appointment is Chibnall's first in the new gig.
"I always knew I wanted the thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we're thrilled to have secured our number one choice," Chibnall said.
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