Surprise new Doctor Jo Martin wasn’t told she was auditioning to play the Time Lord

The episode, Fugitive of the Judoon, saw a character named Ruth revealed to be another iteration of the iconic Time Lord – one who Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor had no knowledge of.

And according to showrunner Chris Chibnall, Holby City star Jo Martin, who played the new Doctor, didn’t originally realise she was auditioning for that role either.

“We called her in and she read for it – with secret pages that didn't mention that it was the Doctor," Chibnall told the Daily Mirror.

“But she's a massive fan of the show and I think she guessed. I had to ring her up and tell her and she was overwhelmed and thrilled.

“A lot of her family are fans and she kept that secret brilliantly for so long – nobody knew. We filmed it in the middle of last year.”

Chibnall added that it was Nida Mazoor, who directed the episode, who first suggested Martin as a good fit for the role.

“She was the best person for the job, he said. It was a great suggestion, she's got a brilliant combination of humour and warmth and wit and softness and steel. She's a really exciting Doctor.”

Whovians the world over reacted with excitement to the episode, with many taking to social media to speculate exactly where Martin’s Doctor fits into the character’s history.

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