WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for "Fugitive of the Judoon," the fifth episode of Doctor Who Series 12.
The latest episode of Doctor Who was packed with surprise revelations but none perhaps more shocking than the introduction of a previously unseen version of the Doctor, portrayed by Jo Martin. And while the long-running British sci-fi series has toyed with audience expectation before with the introduction of false Doctors, showrunner Chris Chibnall has confirmed that Martin's character is indeed the Doctor.
Initially appearing under the human guise of Ruth Clayton, Ruth recovers her memories during her encounter with Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor and reclaims her identity as an unseen regeneration of the venerable Time Lord, complete with her own throwback version of the TARDIS. Chibnall noted that the veracity of Ruth's claim was confirmed by her credited role at the episode's conclusion, a tradition held throughout the series' run, including for John Hurt's brief turn as the War Doctor.
"The important thing to say is -- she is definitively the Doctor. There's not a sort of parallel universe going on, there's no tricks," explained Chibnall in an interview with Mirror. "Jo Martin is the Doctor, that's why we gave her the credit at the end which all new Doctors have the first time you see them. John Hurt got that credit.”
Speculation has since arisen about when exactly in the series' timeline Martin's Doctor could have appeared, especially given her 1970s-inspired TARDIS and confusion over the 13th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. According to Chibnall, the mystery will be revisited over Series 12.
"There will be answers to some of these mysteries this series. But as ever with Doctor Who, answers often reveal new questions. It's all very deliberate,” teased Chibnall. "We’re telling an ongoing story and there are plenty of things in Doctor Who that change all the time but I’m very aware of the history and very aware of the continuity."
Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker as the 13th iteration of the titular Time Lord. Whittaker is joined by co-stars Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill in a series spearheaded by showrunner Chris Chibnall. The next episode is set to air on the BBC on Feb. 2. The new season and all previous 11 seasons will stream on HBO Max later this year.