The Doctor is back in … but it’s not the same Doctor you’ve known before, as Jodie Whittaker makes her debut in the season 11 premiere.
Every time the Doctor regenerates in Doctor Who, it’s a time of great anticipation for fans. Not every regeneration is historic, though, like the arrival of the Thirteenth Doctor in “The Woman Who Fell to Earth.”
The title of the Doctor Who season 11 (or series 11, as they like to say in the U.K.) tells us two things. The first is that the Doctor might be crash-landing on our planet after experiencing some trouble coming back to life, something that has happened in seasons past. Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor, for one, had some memorable difficulties right off the bat.
But the more newsworthy facet, something that has received all kinds of media attention ever since it was announced, is that this episode marks the first full outing for Jodie Whittaker as the first ever female Doctor. It’s not a shock to Whovians, who have seen Time Lords change gender upon regeneration before (R.I.P. Missy). However, knowing it’s happening and experiencing it are two different things, and the world is waiting to see what Whittaker brings to the Thirteenth Doctor.
She won’t be alone. The new season is set to introduce not one, not two but three new companions. It remains to be seen if we’ll see them all in the premiere, but since the episode is clocking in at an oversized 105 minutes, it’s quite possible.
Also, the whole world will get to see Whittaker and friends at the same time since the premiere is going to be simulcast globally before shifting to local times for each country the next week (8:00 p.m. on Sunday nights on BBC America in the U.S.). Here’s all the info you need to watch the Thirteenth Doctor make her presence felt live:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 7
Start Time: 1:45 p.m. ET
Episode: “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”
TV Channel: BBC America
Live Stream: Watch live on Fubo TV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. You can also watch on the BBC America website or app.
Be sure to follow us here at FanSided.com as we’ll be chronicling the adventures of the Thirteenth Doctor all year long with recaps, speculation and much more.