Warning! This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who has revealed its first-ever Black incarnation of The Doctor, portrayed by actor Jo Martin.
Sunday night’s Fugitive of the Judoon episode involved the Judoon – a band of rhino-like mercenary cops from space – chasing down a fugitive on Earth.
Viewers saw the current Doctor, portrayed by Jodie Whittaker (the first female incarnation of the character) stepped in to protect their target, a tour guide named Ruth Clayton.
However, Ruth wasn’t a tour guide at all.
She’s The Doctor.
The Time Lord can regenerate when mortally wounded, giving the character a new face and new life, via a new actor. Jodie officially became the 13th after taking over from Peter Capaldi at the end of 2017.
In this case, Jo Martin is not taking over the role but instead seems to be part of the series’ latest story arc surrounding the destruction of The Doctor’s home planet of Gallifrey.
And fans quickly took to social media to celebrate the moment.
While it’s not yet clear where Jo’s incarnation sits in the timeline, it’s implied she is an earlier Doctor ― perhaps prior to William Hartnell’s original.
However, Jodie’s incarnation clearly has no recollection of Jo’s form.
One thing is clear, given the nature of the show: the new Doctor will almost certainly turn up again.
Given the tight-lipped nature of the show’s production, Jo had to keep a lid on her character... until last night, when she updated her Twitter pic in celebration:
A Doctor outside of the official numbered timeline is not without precedent.
In 2013, in celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary, acclaimed actor John Hurt portrayed an incarnation known as the War Doctor in a crossover episode that included both David Tennant’s 10th Doctor and Matt Smith’s 11th.