Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill joined showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens at San Diego Comic-Con as they debuted the first footage from the new season to a packed house on Thursday.
With brief glimpses at the Doctor, her TARDIS, her sonic screwdriver, and her three new companions, the teaser invites fans (and her new companions) on a whirlwind adventure.
“All of this is new to me,” the Doctor says. “New faces, new worlds, new times. So if I asked really, really nicely, would you be my new best friends?”
Fans sitting in Hall H were treated to an introduction video showing Whittaker rushing to get to San Diego Comic-Con from Cardiff, Wales.
From Cardiff to Comic-Con. Jodie Whittaker arrives at the #DoctorWho panel at #SDCC. pic.twitter.com/cqAP6G2kI3
— Doctor Who on BBC America (@DoctorWho_BBCA) July 19, 2018
#sdcc – new #DoctorWho hits the stage to a roar "Loud & amazing" says #JodieWhittaker pic.twitter.com/XPHdRqKh16
— Dominic Patten (@DeadlineDominic) July 19, 2018
With her casting as the Thirteenth Doctor announced last year, Whittaker made history as the first female Doctor in the show’s 55-year run. For many, the move was seen as monumental and overdue, which was reflected in an emotional video shown in the room of the world reacting to Whittaker taking over for departing star Peter Capaldi.
Welcome, Jodie Whittaker! #WelcomeJodie #DoctorWho #SDCC pic.twitter.com/lfz365PQf9
— Doctor Who on BBC America (@DoctorWho_BBCA) July 19, 2018
Chibnall praised Whittaker, noting that she “just nailed it” when she came into the room to audition for the role. And the acceptance from the crew was nearly instantaneous.
“All the crew who’d been working on the show for years saw Whittaker in action and one day said, ‘She’s the Doctor,’” Chibnall explained. He called the upcoming season 11—which features all standalone episodes—a perfect time for new Doctor Who fans to start watching the show.
“I felt as if I was very much in someone else’s shoes,” Whittaker said of her first days in the Doctor’s shoes. “Which is a wonderful way to start this journey. It was amazing.”
Whittaker later described her take on the Doctor as “a pillar of hope, striving for brightness and inclusion” and being “quite fidgety.”
After revealing the new trailer, the Doctor Who crew showed off the Thirteenth Doctor’s new sonic screwdriver.
They revealed a look at the new sonic screwdriver! #DoctorWho #SDCC pic.twitter.com/mOiJMbzPcy
— cyberaug (@cyberaug) July 19, 2018
A better view of the sonic screwdriver can be seen in the newest poster for the upcoming season, which features the tagline “The universe is calling.” A second poster features the Doctor with companions Yasmin (Gill), Ryan (Cole), and Graham (Bradley Walsh).
New Doctor, New Sonic Screwdriver. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/ThXlmJLKer
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) July 19, 2018
The new team. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/uypilYX8Gv
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) July 19, 2018
Judging by fan reaction, the world is ready for the series’ grand return.