The 13th actor to play Time Lord in the long-running British television series Doctor Who has finally been announced.

Jodie Whittaker is the first woman to play the role. She has appeared in several British films and TV shows, including Black Mirror and Broadchurch. The announcement was made in a teaser that was broadcast on BBC One at the end of the Wimbledon men’s singles final. “It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor,” Whittaker said in a statement. “It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”

The character of the time zone-travelling extraterrestrial known as Time Lord has been around since 1963, and has been variously played by William Hartnell, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and, most recently, Peter Capaldi.

The announcement has been greeted by predictable hand-wringing that the show has been “ruined” by political correctness and as well as glee and mock horror that finally, a woman will headline one of the most popular British shows of all time.