After months of waiting from the Doctor Who Fandom, the thirteenth Doctor was finally announced this summer. Jodie Whitaker was announced on July 17 as not only the next Doctor, but also the first female Doctor. While most fans are for a female Doctor, some are not as excited.

Doctor Who is the longest running Sci-Fi series. The show has been running for 54 years. It originally aired in 1963. It continued to run until taking a break in 1986, only to be brought back in 2005. The reason the show has lasted so long is because whenever the Doctor ‘dies’, he regenerates. A new actor takes the old actors place, giving the Doctor a new body, personality, and costume. The past 12 Doctors have been male, so it is big change that a female is taking the role.

The new ‘Time Lady’ is Jodie Whitaker. She is an English actor who has been acting since 2005. Her first appearance as the Doctor will be in the 2017 Christmas special, ‘’Twice Upon A Time,’ after Peter Capaldi regenerates. There is no set date for the next season, but rumors say it will be around autumn 2018. Fans all around the world are buzzing about the first female Doctor. While most fans are ecstatic, others are worried. Some fear that a Female Doctor is breaking traction and that the series will not be the same. Other has even gone as far to threaten to stop watching the show.

Mr. Packer is a huge Doctor Who fan. He is enthusiastic about the new Doctor. He explains that he would only be against The Doctor being female if the show ever specified that The Doctor’s species could not switch genders, which it never did. Although, he admits that he expected a Doctor of different color before a female. He explains that he thinks she will bring equality to the show.

Carly Koehler is a student at Kearns and a huge fan of the show. She states that the change will have a huge impact on Sci-Fi. She explains that a strong female main character in the genre is uncommon.
“I think it’s great to give kids a cool Sci-fi female role model to look up to, that way they can see that women are awesome too.” While there are some complaints Jodie taking the role, most fans are happy for the change. It will bring a new era to Doctor Who. The show has certainly gone a long way since it first aired.