Jodie Whittaker becomes 1st female 'Doctor Who' lead

And the speculations finally end! Jodie Whittaker has been named as the new ?Doctor Who?, the first female Time Lord in the show's history.

The actress has most recently been seen in ITV?s Broadchurch, whose creator Chris Chibnall is taking over ?Doctor Who? showrunning duties from Steven Moffat.

Whittaker will replace Peter Capaldi, who has filled the role since 2013. His last performance in the role will be in the 2017 Christmas special.

"I?m beyond excited to begin this epic journey ? with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet," said Whittaker, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

"It?s more than an honor to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can?t wait."

The previous incarnations of the Time Lord were played by:

William Hartnell (1963-66)

Patrick Troughton (1966-69)

Jon Pertwee (1970-74)

Tom Baker (1974-81)

Peter Davison (1982-84)

Colin Baker (1984-86)

Sylvester McCoy (1987-89)

Paul McGann (1996)

Christopher Eccleston (2005)

David Tennant (2005-2010)

Matt Smith (2010-2013)

Peter Capaldi (2013-2017)

Jodie Whittaker (2017-)

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)