After the departure of Peter Capaldi in 2017, Jodie Whittaker made history, becoming just the 13th actor to portray the Doctor in an official capacity — and the first woman. The regeneration coincided with a switch in backstage talent, too, as longtime showrunner Steven Moffatt left the series in the hands of Chris Chibnall. For Chibnall, casting a woman in the role was never a question of "should" but one of "who." "Chibnall says he selected Whittaker, ultimately his first pick, "after months of lists, conversations, auditions, recalls, and a lot of secret-keeping," and that he "always knew" that his Doctor would "be a woman," according to the BBC (via Deadline).
The road to Whittaker was a long one. According to The Telegraph, in 1986, BBC head of drama Sydney Newman told producers that the next Doctor ought to be female. While Britcom stars Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley) and Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) were briefly considered, Newmans' suggestion was overruled, and Sylvester McCoy became Doctor Number 7. Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench was later a possibility to star in the show's mid-2000s reboot, ultimately losing out to Christopher Eccleston.
