The first-ever female Doctor makes an appearance in the new teaser for the 11th season of Doctor Who, which was released at half-time of the World Cup Finals between France and Croatia on Sunday. A series of people are eating their meals when they are interrupted by a strange spurt of energy. Doctor Who (Jodie Whittaker) appears soon after.
The long-running British series centres on an extraterrestrial being called “the Doctor”, a Time Lord who can travel through space and time in his space ship called TARDIS. The Doctor fights several enemies while helping save civilisations. The science-fiction television series originally ran from 1963 to 1989 on BBC One, and was revived in 2005.
There have been 12 doctors so far, all men, played by various actors including William Hartnell, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and, most recently, Peter Capaldi.
Whittaker, who also starred in British crime series Broadchurch, was announced as the series’ first female doctor in July last year. She debuted during last year in the Doctor Who Christmas special Twice Upon a Time, where Capaldi’s character regenerated (a technique by which they avoid death) into the first female Doctor in the show’s 54-year history.