The long running U.K. television series “Doctor Who,” which has been in production for over 50 years, has recently cast its first Black person for the lead role of The Doctor.
The veteran British actress Jo Martin has secured the role, and she also plays on the BBC One medical drama “Holby City” as neurosurgeon Max McGerry.
On Jan. 13, Martin responded to a Twitter user who watches “Doctor Who” and said she’s thrilled to be on the show.
“Can’t wait to see you in ‘Fugitive of The Judoon’ #DoctorWho as your character Ruth Clayton!” someone tweeted.
“Can’t wait either!!!” Martin wrote back. “Dream Job.”
Martin also posted a Twitter photo of herself on Sunday dressed as The Doctor, and a lot of people acknowledged the historical casting and sent their congratulations.
“The reaction of the @weblackandnerds Slack is a reminder that representation really matters,” someone tweeted on Sunday. “I hope @DoctorWho_BBCA @bbcdoctorwho is seeing joyful reactions about @therealjomartin and understand how wonderful it is to many (more) of us that the Doctor is a Black woman.”
Just as that Twitter user hoped for, there were plenty of joyful reactions to Martin being cast, and many shared their feelings on Twitter.
“I’m so emotional right now!” one person tweeted.
“I honest to god teared up at this… Utterly captivating,” wrote another viewer of the show.
“Representation does really matter to us,” someone else wrote.
According to IMDb, Martin’s first major role came in 1988 in the film “For Queen and Country,” which starred Denzel Washington. She was also cast in series like “Birds of a Feather,” “The Brittas Empire,” “Blouse and Skirt,” “Always and Everyone,” and “My Family.”
On top of that, Martin played the role of a prison official in the 2005 film “Batman Begins,” which also starred Morgan Freeman, and she was also cast in the British crime drama “Top Boy.”
“Doctor Who” airs on BBC One on Sundays.
