The idea of a woman becoming the Doctor has been a major topic of conversation ever since Peter Capaldi announced that he would be handing off the iconic role to someone new, and Steven Moffat’s exit also opened the door for a reversal of tradition.
Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge was frequently brought up as a strong potential candidate, as well as actors such as Kris Marshall and Tom Rosenthal.
The Doctor’s regeneration into a woman was even set up in the Series 10 finale when Capaldi’s Time Lord said “we can only hope,” when asked if the future would be “all girl.”
Jodie Whittaker is something of a surprise choice for the role of the Doctor, as her name isn’t one that came up a lot in the many months leading up to the reveal, only rising to the top of the heap in recent days.