10 Doctor Who Rumours That Were Actually True

6. The Thirteenth Doctor Will Be Female

Doctor Who flying Daleks rumour
BBC

The idea of the Doctor regenerating into a woman is something that's been bandied about since the classic era, but the endless rumours have only been true one time.

In the lead-up to Peter Capaldi's departure, those rumours were the hottest they've ever been, with names like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman, and Tilda Swinton among the favourites to snag the role. Everywhere from tabloid papers to popular fan sites joined in on the speculation, and the rumour itself refused to die down.

But rather than amounting to nothing - as it did when Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith left the show - on this occasion, the whispers were true.

Jodie Whittaker was unveiled as the Thirteenth Doctor in July 2017, putting an end to months and months of speculation. As we mentioned in our introduction, the actress is about to enter her third series on the job, and because of the legendary "three-year rule" that many Doctor Who stars are said to abide by... the rumours about her replacement have already begun.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.