Now that the shock and newness of Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who casting has worn off, it doesn’t seem quite like such a big deal anymore, but just traveling back through the recent past will reveal the kind of early onset drama that would’ve started had it been revealed Doctor Who was definitely casting a woman as the lead.
Had that news leaked out, many fans would’ve latched onto that small bit of information and ultimately made an overarching decision about how they felt about the entirety of the Doctor Who franchise, as fans are known to do.
Instead, the world got to witness Whittaker’s reveal together during Wimbledon, and while not every fan’s “female Doctor” stance may have been changed by seeing Whittaker in the role, it likely helped others better visualize it.