Dr. Who introduces first ever black Doctor, played by Jo Martin

On Sunday night, the long-running science-fiction television show “Doctor Who” pleasantly surprised fans with the introduction of a new character, Ruth Clayton. The surprise? She’s a reincarnation of the title character, The Doctor.

Since actress Jo Martin portrays Ruth Clayton, this is the first black Doctor on the series, as well as the second female Doctor. The Doctor regenerates whenever they are mortally injured, continuing as an incarnation of the Doctor in some form. The current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, was introduced as the 13th Doctor at the end of 2017 and was also the first female Doctor added into the mix.

However, it doesn’t seem like Martin’s form of the Doctor will be replacing Whittaker; she is just a previous version of Whittaker’s character. It is unclear at the moment where Martin’s version of the Doctor falls on the timeline, but it will likely be revealed. We do know that neither female version of the Doctor remembers the other.

Fans took to social media after the show to show their support and approval of the new old Doctor. One fan tweeted: “Thank you for finally giving a Black nerd and other black nerdy adults and kids a Doctor who looks like us.” It’s going to be interesting to see how the writers develop Martin’s character, and hopefully, we will get to see much more of this Doctor!