Doctor Who's Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, and Billie Piper chime in with their thoughts on Jodie Whittaker

We'll have to wait until 2018 for a full season of Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker in the lead, but Whovians should be excited if alumni praises are anything to go by. Showrunner Steven Moffat, the 11th Doctor Matt Smith, and former companion Billie Piper all gave their thoughts on the upcoming season and the introduction of the series' first female Doctor.

First up was Moffat. "Doctor Who has an amazing future, and I’ve seen part of it. I’ve seen Jodie’s first scene as the Doctor, and trust me, we are in for a thrill ride. She is already brilliant," he said in a video from YouTube fan channel BabelColour (skip to 6:23). "It's such a tiny moment. she’s given us the Doctor we’ve always known, but in, to say the least, a new way. We are in for a very exciting run." Moffat seems to be speaking about the upcoming Christmas special (his final for the show) suggesting that we'll see the Doctor regenerate near the end of the episode.

Meanwhile, at Fan Expo 2017 in Canada, Matt Smith told audiences he was familiar with the type of pressure Whittaker will face. "The thing with Doctor Who is that I’d walk down the street and people would be like, 'Don’t break Doctor Who!' And I’d be like, 'Please love me.'" It doesn't seem as if Smith is worried, though. He said that "Doctor Who as an idea is at its best when it’s inventing things and being brave with the forum. Having a woman come in and play the Doctor suddenly makes me go 'Wow! What’s she gonna do?'"

"She’s a brilliant actress, she’s a great person, and I think she’s going to be a rocket. I’m really excited."

Last but not least, Billie Piper, AKA Rose Tyler, was asked at Fan Expo how a female Doctor would change the social dynamic between the time-travelling alien and the human companion. She said it wouldn't. "If they’re going to change the world and travel through time, they’re gonna have to have a strong allegiance,” Piper said. "It’s not gonna be traditional. It’s gonna be modern and progressive. But it will always be about needing each other, regardless of whether the doctor is a girl or a guy or a cat, y’know."

Rose's story arc ended with her and a mortal clone of the 10th Doctor living out their lives in an alternate universe. But Piper tweeted that hey, love is love, y'know?

We'll catch a glimpse of this new vision of Doctor Who when the show broadcasts its Christmas special on December 25, 2017.