New ‘Doctor Who’ lineup to debut at San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con ticketholders may not get to see a “Game of Thrones” or “Westworld” panel next month, but they will be the first in the world to see the new cast of the BBC’s long-running series “Doctor Who.”
Actress Jodie Whittaker, who will make history this fall as the first-ever woman Doctor in the show’s decades-long history, will lead the panel. She’ll be joined by her co-stars Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, who play the Doctor’s companions Ryan and Yasmin, along with showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens.
When “Doctor Who” returns for a 10-show season this fall, Whittaker will take on the role of the 13th Doctor, the nickname for one of the last two surviving Time Lords from planet Gallifrey.
“Doctor Who” follows the adventures of The Doctor and his companions who travel through time and the universe solving global problems and saving species. They travel in a space ship known as the TARDIS, which is disguised as a 1960s-era English phone booth.
The British science-fiction TV series debuted on the BBC in 1963 and ran weekly until 1989. It was rebooted with a made-for-TV film in 1996, then returned as a regular series in 2005.
When the original actor playing the Doctor grew too old for the part in 1965, producers recast the role with Patrick Troughton and created a plot device that whenever the Doctor “dies,” his spirit is regenerated with a new body and face.
Scottish television actor Peter Capaldi was the last actor to play the role from 2014 to 2017.
Chibnall produced of the award-winning BBC series “Broadchurch” starring former Doctor Who star David Tennant and Whittaker in a supporting role. When Chibnall came on board as the new “Doctor Who” showrunner, he hired Whittaker to replace Capaldi.
This isn’t the first time a woman has played a Time Lord. In 2015, Scottish actress Michelle Gomez joined the series as Missy, the latest regeneration of The Master, the only other survivor of Gallifrey, which was destroyed in an interstellar war. Her character was apparently killed last season.
The date and time for the “Doctor Who” panel at Comic-Con has not been announced. In 2011, the series made its first appearance at Comic-Con in the San Diego Convention Center’s Hall H. Since the show has only grown in popularity in the U.S. since then, a return to Hall H seems probable.
For more, visit comic-con.org.
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen
