VIDEO : Jodie Whittaker Tells Doctor Who Fans Not To Be 'Scared By My Gender'

On Sunday it was announced that Jodie Whittaker will become the 13th doctor for BBC's Doctor Who, taking over the role from the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, after this year's Christmas special. Whittaker is the franchise's first woman to become a Doctor and the actress issued a statement saying, "I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that?s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one."