A Doctor Who showrunner has said that casting Jodie Whittaker as the first female doctor was an easy decision.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Chris Chibnall said it was “the easiest decision I made in my whole career”.
Executive producer Matt Strevens revealed that he and Chibnall “saw a few actresses for the part” but that Whittaker was destined for the role.
“She was just so compelling,” Strevens said. “In a way, it was a no-brainer. The fact that we were casting a female Doctor disappeared really quickly from our minds.
“We were just casting the Doctor and she felt like our Doctor,” he said.
Whittaker, who is known for playing Beth Latimer in ITV drama Broadchurch, will step into the Doctor’s shoes later this year.
The 36-year-old actress also said in the interview, “There is an element of, ‘You are the Doctor for the rest of your life,’ and that’s an honour, and also will be at times probably overwhelming…but that’s the joy of when art reaches the masses.
“I’m given this platform, and everyone works their arse off to get it seen, and I can’t moan about that,” she continued. “I have had only the positive so far.”
A trailer for series 11 of the iconic British sci-fi drama was released on Sunday (July 15). Watch below.
New Doctor Who, New friends, New Adventures. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/h2AoS3JPQD
— BBC One (@BBCOne) July 15, 2018
The new season of Doctor Who will be scored by composer Segun Akinola.
Akinola – a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and a winner of the BAFTA Breakthrough Brit award – will write the music for all ten episodes of season 11.
Doctor Who series 11 is due to premiere on BBC One this autumn.