DOCTOR Who fans were shocked to discover Jo Martin has been cast as the new Doctor Who after her surprise cameo in series 12.
The Top Boy star has become the second female Doctor but what else do we know about the actress?
Is Jo Martin the new Doctor Who?
Yes – the BBC has confirmed that actress Jo Martin "is definitely the Doctor."
The BBC sci-fi hit saw The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) come face to face with an alternate version of herself, played by Jo Martin on January 26.
Jodie Whittaker was stunned as the new character Ruth, initially disguised as Gloucester tour guide Ruth Clayton, claimed she was one of her past iterations.
This lead many to speculate that Jo’s version of the character must belong to an alternate timeline or universe.
However, Doctor Who show boss Chris Chibnall has stressed that Jo’s introduction is completely legitimate and will have far-reaching consequences.
He told The Mirror: "The important thing to say is – she is definitively the Doctor, there's not a sort of parallel universe going on, there's no tricks.
"Jo Martin is the Doctor, that's why we gave her the credit at the end which all new Doctors have the first time you see them. John Hurt got that credit."
It remains unclear where Jo’s iteration fits into the history of the 13 Doctors, but fans have already started to decipher clues and believe the new Doctor sits between Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee.
Nonetheless, Martin stressed that all would be revealed as he added: "There will be answers to some of these mysteries this series. But as ever with Doctor Who, answers often reveal new questions. It's all very deliberate.
"We're telling an on-going story and there are plenty of things in Doctor Who that change all the time, but I'm very aware of the history and very aware of the continuity."
What is the reaction to Jo Martin's casting as Doctor Who?
There were plenty of other viewers who thoroughly enjoyed the episode and the surprise appearance of a new Doctor.
One wrote: "What's wrong with praising diversity and women in Doctor Who?"
While a second summed up their thoughts: "A decent episode. Full of surprises, treats and questions. No PC rubbish. Quite entertaining. Just when the series starts to fall back on quality it picks up and slowly improves again. I'm enjoying this a lot more than series 11."
But some viewers slammed the move as one driven first and foremost by political correctness. One viewer tweeted: "Doctor Who has got progressively worse since Matt Smith left, it's like being back in the 1980's… this time killed by PC goody-goodies, woke BS and awful storylines."
Another added: "Chris Chibnall messing with cannon and being more interested during his time on the show in checking PC boxes is well beyond tiresome."
A third moaned: "Having gone woke and sent BBC tax-payers broke, their solution is clearly to triple down on woke. I want my fun, time traveling alien boy back."
Who is Jo Martin and what is her background?
Jo Martin is a British actress who began her career in 1989 with a role on The Bill.
Throughout the 90's and the early 2000's she starred in the likes of Birds of a Feather, Casualty, Doctors and My Family.
She joined EastEnders in 2014 as Judy before going on to appear in Hollyoaks, Jonathan Creek, Top Boy and Fleabag.
Jo has a recurring role as Max McGerry on Holby City which began in 2019.
While her film credits include 2005's Batman Begins and 2007's Deadmeat.
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