New Doctor Who is announced and it is female

When it comes to the runners and riders in the Dr Who candidacy, the Broadchurch star Jodie Whittaker has come from left field to the position of favourite. As well playing Beth Latimer in Broadchurch, the 34-year-old has starred in St Trinians, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Adult Life Skills and Marchlands. Photo by Karwai Tang / WireImage

The speculation has come to an end. An anxious day for thousands of Doctor Who fans has ended with the news that Jodie Whittaker will replace Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who.

The announcement came in the form of a Doctor Who trailer, broadcast on BBC One soon after Roger Federer became the first man to win Wimbledon eight times. Capaldi will step down after three series and 39 episodes in the role.

The Broadchurch star, 35, will make her debut on the sci-fi show this Christmas.

Speculation about the identity of the 13th Time Lord had reached fever pitch in anticipation of the announcement, fuelled by the possibility that the new time traveller might turn out be a woman.

Meet the Thirteenth Doctor #DoctorWho #Doctor13 pic.twitter.com/uALi0maO9o

— BBC (@BBC) July 16, 2017

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, A-list Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton and Olivia Colman, who played Waller-Bridge's mother in the darkly comic Fleabag, all appeared to be in the mix following the finale of the show's 10th series, which ended at the beginning of July, while front-runners for the role included Kris Marshall, the star of the BBC series Death in Paradise as well as Whittaker.