Doctor Who

This year marked Jodie Whittaker’s first at San Diego Comic-Con since the announcement that she’d be joining ‘Doctor Who’ as the thirteenth incarnation of the titular Time Lord. With not only a new Doctor but an entirely new cast, showrunner, and composer, the upcoming eleventh season is a big one for ‘Doctor Who’ – arguably the biggest since the series’ revival in 2005. And a big season means a big Comic-Con.

The centerpiece of that “big Comic-Con” was the show’s Hall H panel on Thursday. Moderated by IGN’s Terri Schwartz, the panel featured the Doctor herself, Jodie Whittaker, in addition to Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, who respectively play companions Ryan and Yasmin. Also on hand were showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Stevens.

Perhaps the biggest moments of the panel were the release of the latest trailer and the reveal of the new sonic screwdriver. During the panel, the chemistry between the cast was on full display, with highlights including discussion of the casting process for the Doctor and her companions, Cole and Gil giving a summation of their characters (who we’ve only fleetingly met in the current promotional materials), a brief video greeting from absent companion Bradley Walsh, and the story of David Tennant’s reaction to the news that his former ‘Broadchurch’ co-star had been cast as the Doctor.

The panel also included considerable talk of the show’s increased emphasis on diversity. The most obvious manifestation of this, of course, is Whittaker herself and her role as the first female incarnation of the Doctor followed closely by the multi-ethnic companions. But there’s also been a conscious effort to be more inclusive behind the scenes, with the show hiring writers of color for the first time in its history and hiring more women to write and direct.

Since the con, the BBC has uploaded video of the entire panel via the official ‘Doctor Who’ YouTube account. We’ve also included the video below, so grab a drink, settle in, and enjoy the entire, hour-long panel!

 

Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on the upcoming season of ‘Doctor Who’ as it becomes available!

‘Doctor Who’ will return later this year for its eleventh season. This season will see the arrival of new showrunner Chris Chibnall and the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker. In addition to Whittaker, the new season will star Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gil.