New Doctor Who is a she: Jodie Whittaker named as the new Time Lord (or Lady).

Actress revealed as Peter Capaldi’s successor on hit sci-fi series

Jodie Whittaker has described becoming the first woman to play the lead role in Doctor Who as “completely overwhelming”.

The Broadchurch actress was revealed as Peter Capaldi’s successor as the Time Lord yesterday afternoon, making her the 13th reincarnation of the much-loved character.

She said: “It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be. “It feels incredible.” She also reassured fans to “not be scared by my gender”.

“Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change,” she said, adding: “The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

Whittaker, 35, revealed she had told “a lot of lies” in order to keep the announcement secret and had used the codename Clooney when discussing the role with her husband and agent.

It will see the actress team up with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall on the hit sci-fi series as he takes over from Steven Moffat as executive producer.

Explaining how she won the part, she said: “We had a strange chat earlier this year where he tricked me into thinking we were talking about Broadchurch.

“And I started to quiz him about his new job in Wales, and asked him if I could be a baddie. And he quickly diverted the conversation to suggest I should consider auditioning to be the 13th Clooney.

“It was the most incredible chat because I asked every question under the sun, and I said I’d take a few weeks to decide whether I was going to audition.

“He got a phone call within 24 hours. He would’ve got a phone call sooner, but my husband was away and there was a time difference.”

Picture: BBC. Jodie Whittaker will be the 13th Doctor.