‘Doctor Who’ Alums Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper Approve Of Jodie Whittaker

“Doctor Who” cast the first woman in the role of the Doctor Sunday, but plenty of other fierce females have been in the TARDIS before as companions. Some of the alums seem delighted about the news that Jodie Whittaker is the 13th Doctor.

Billie Piper, who played Rose Tyler in “Doctor Who” Seasons 1, 2 and 4, kept her reaction simple. “YES,” she wrote along with a rose emoji.

“Whoever the new Doctor is... enjoy... it’s the best,” she tweeted shortly before Whittaker was revealed.

Piper has been vocal about wanting to see a female Doctor since Peter Capaldi announced his departure earlier this year. “I’ve always supported the original format but I don’t know where they can go from here,” she told the BBC in January. “I think it would be great [to have a female Doctor] given the spirit of the world at the moment. I think it would be timely.”

READ: Watch Jodie Whittaker’s Best Roles Before “Doctor Who”

She’s not the only one who thinks so. Her successor Freema Agyeman, who played Martha Jones in “Doctor Who” Season 3, also had a rather concise reaction. “BOOM,” Agyeman wrote along with a retweet of the video revealing Whittaker as the new Time Lord. “Change isn’t a dirty word!”

Arthur Darvill, who played Rory Williams alongside the 11th Doctor, shared the sentiments of other companions. While he had previously jokingly tweeted that Michelle Obama or David Bowie could play Thirteen, he seemed happy that the “Broadchurch” actress is taking over. “Yes Jodie,” he wrote.

Alex Kingston, who recurred as the Doctor’s wife River Song from 2008 up through the 2015 Christmas special, is not on Twitter. However, she discovered the news while on stage at Raleigh Supercon, a sci-fi fan convention in North Carolina. “Oh, that’s lovely,” Kingston said. “She’s a really great actress. She’s fantastic. Oh my! Oh, that’s so exciting! How fabulous.”

Whittaker was announced Sunday as Peter Capaldi’s “Doctor Who” successor. The 12th Doctor actor was happy to learn the identity of the next Doctor. “Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm,” Capaldi said in a press release. “She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.”

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While some are concerned about Whittaker being the first female to lead “Doctor Who,” the English actress hopes audiences take the time to look beyond the fact that she identifies as a woman. “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender,” she said in the press release. “Because this is a really exciting time, and ‘Doctor Who’ represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

Whittaker will likely start her run as the Thirteenth Doctor in the 2017 “Doctor Who” Christmas special.