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When
。 Doctor Who 。returns on Oct. 7, Jodie Whittaker will make her debut as the eponymous Time Lord. It's the first time a woman will have that role, and -- as we now know -- that's entirely by design.。

"We knew in our gut it was about time, and it felt like the right decision, and the character is non-gender specific in any way, really," executive producer Matt Strevens told Digital Spy in a recent interview. 。

SEE ALSO:2 'Doctor Who' actors hugged IRL and fans were like woah 。

"If ever there was a character that was never defined by gender, it's the Doctor. The Doctor is gender fluid in that sense." 。

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。 There have been many Doctors over the years, a fact that's explained away in the show's fiction. As an extra-terrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor only。looks。

human; in fact, Time Lords are practically ageless, and when their bodies expire they enter into a state of regeneration. When they re-emerge, gender is their choice to make. 。

Despite that, Whittaker is the first female Doctor in the show's 55-year history. As Strevens said, that decision was motivated in part by a demand from the newest showrunner, Chris Chibnall. 。

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"That's what Chris wanted, that was part of his conditions of doing the job."。

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"That's what Chris wanted, that was part of his conditions of doing the job." 。

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