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Jodie Whittaker is the first female star of Doctor Who

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Jodie Whittaker. (Getty Images)
Jodie Whittaker. (Getty Images)

London— The BBC says Jodie Whittaker is the next star of the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who — the first woman to take the title role.

Whittaker, who starred in detective drama Broadchurch, will replace Scottish actor Peter Capaldi.

Whittaker is the 13th incarnation of the Doctor, a galaxy-hopping Time Lord who travels in the Tardis, a time machine shaped like an old-fashioned British police telephone booth.

Meet the Thirteenth Doctor #DoctorWho

A post shared by Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) on

The 54-year-old program has a firm place in Britain's cultural life, and the announcement was made during a live television broadcast on Sunday after the Wimbledon men's tennis final.

Doctor Who was first broadcast in 1963. Its central character can travel across space or time and can regenerate into new bodies — allowing for endless recasting of the role.

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