Doctor Who series 11 starring Jodie Whittaker is but weeks away and excitement is mounting as to what new showrunner Chris Chibnall will bring to the long-running BBC show.

With a female lead and an all-new day for the series, Doctor Who is undergoing a seismic change – and we couldn't be more excited.

Last month, Digital Spy took a trip to Cardiff, the home of the sci-fi show since 2005, to speak to the cast and crew of Doctor Who, including showrunner Chris Chibnall, executive producer Matt Strevens and new companion Bradley Walsh.

Taking a brief break from filming on the 2018 Doctor Who Christmas Special, Chibnall told us about the casting of the first female Doctor:

"It felt like a straightforward decision, it's not that controversial. It's very hard to think of many examples in its 55-year history where the Doctor takes a decision based upon gender."

Chris Chibnall BBC

Matt Strevens added: "We knew in our gut it was about time and it felt like the right decision, and the character is not gender-specific, in any way really.

"If ever there was a character that was never defined by gender, it's the Doctor. The Doctor is gender fluid in that sense."

The previous actor to play the role, Peter Capaldi, relinquished his TARDIS duties in the 2017 Christmas Special after announcing his intention to leave earlier in the year.

Strevens revealed that Chris Chibnall took on the role of showrunner on the basis that the gender of the Doctor would be changed for the first time in the show's history. "Once Peter had decided he was leaving, the next Doctor was always going to be a female Doctor.

"That's what Chris wanted, that was part of his conditions of doing the job."

On his co-star Whittaker, The Chase host Bradley Walsh enthused: "She's fantastic in it and worked so hard and is so enthusiastic and she leads from the front.

"This will trail-blaze for a lot of other shows. It's going to make her a massive star."

Doctor Who begins on Sunday, October 7 on BBC One.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io