Steven Moffat Says 13 Being A Woman Was Not His Idea, Jodie Whittaker Cast By New ‘Doctor Who’ Showrunner

The 13th Doctor will officially be a woman and fans have been raving about the news all weekend. However, the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the new Time Lord had nothing to do with outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat.

It’s no secret that the Sherlock co-creator has toyed with the idea of bringing in a female Doctor. Steven Moffat has already expressed interest in casting a woman to portray the Time Lord but will not be able to pursue the plan now that he will leave the show after the upcoming Christmas special.

Luckily, new showrunner Chris Chibnall has the final say on who will play 13 when he takes over in the next season. Not surprisingly, it has been revealed that Chibnall has chosen Jodie Whittaker to take on the role, making the Broadchurch star the first woman to portray the Gallifreyan in the history of Doctor Who.

But is it possible that Steven Moffat had pitched the idea of making the Doctor regenerate as a woman after Peter Capaldi exits the BBC series? The current Doctor Who showrunner admitted that he had no idea what Chris Chibnall was planning up until the recent post-Wimbledon reveal of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor.

“It’s my show up to the point Mr. Capaldi regenerates, then it passes to Chris, and he worries about the last section.”

In the meantime, Jodie Whittaker has confirmed that Chris Chibnall had every intention to cast her in the lead role in Doctor Who. Whittaker shared that Chibnall had suggested she should audition for the role “earlier this year” and she didn’t need to be persuaded to do it.

Steven Moffat has yet to make an actual comment on Jodie Whittaker’s casting as 13 but it looks like the actress is already in good company. Whittaker states that she is “mates with a trio of Doctors,” who are Chris Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. The former Black Mirror star also mentioned that she knows David Bradley, who will take over for the late William Hartnell as the First Doctor in this year’s Christmas special.

The air date for the next season of Doctor Who has not yet been announced. Peter Capaldi will return as 12 in the Christmas Special, which is scheduled to premiere on December 25.

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