Perhaps more than any time before, the phrase "a new Doctor Who" is emphasizing the "new" aspect in more ways than one. That's not only because the impending debut of BBC's Thirteenth Doctor will feature the first woman to ever take on the role, but this iteration of the popular sci-fi series will feature new writers, concepts and territory never before a part of the British institution's legacy.

To celebrate, The Doctor herself Jodie Whittaker took to the stage of Hall H at the 2018 Comic-Con International in San Diego Thursday morning. Joining the Time Lord were co-stars Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill who play companions Ryan and Yasmin as well as series showrunner Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch) and executive producer Matt Strevens (An Adventure in Space and Time).

The action started with a video, presumably shot this week, where Whittaker makes her way to Hall H via both TARDIS and across the massive footbridge near the Hall H section of the con. The new Doctor then led the cast out onto the stage, and when asked what her first Comic-Con is like, she said, "Loud." Showrunner Chibnall marveled at the fan support, noting that he last came to Comic-Con years ago when he was a writer on the first season of Torchwood.

 

From Cardiff to Comic-Con. Jodie Whittaker arrives at the #DoctorWho panel at #SDCC. pic.twitter.com/M1O9yXq8J2

— BBC America @ SDCC Booth #4129 (@BBCAMERICA) July 19, 2018

Whittaker spoke to the secrecy of the show and how she had to keep her casting a secret for months, including from her close friends and family. "But the reveal was such a massive moment," she said. "We want this show to always be a surprise to the fans every week, and that's such a huge part of it all. So no spoilers."

Chibnall said that they auditioned many actresses for the part, but that Whittaker "walked into the room, and she was the Doctor...she just nailed it." The writer had prepared three scenes to try out how this new Doctor would feel, and the actress only needed one to and the part. "Then we had to do two more scenes so we could say we did our due diligence."

The new companions Ryan and Yasmin also had a rigorous audition process. "We were looking for people who had an incredible range because the tone of the show is very demanding," Chibnall said. "We walked about bringing emotional truth to the series, and this season has big emotional arcs for everyone."

Fans have seen the Thirteenth Doctor briefly during the regeneration sequence at the end of last season, a filming process that Whittaker called "nerve-wracking." She explained, "It was two days. I was in somebody else's costume. I was on their set and in their TARDIS. I felt very much as if I was in someone else's shoes, which is a wonderful way to start this journey...it was amazing to film because I've never shot anything like what we did in those two days."

Chibnall explained that during the filming of that sequence, the crew seemed to lean in to the monitors as the scene was performed and became instantly absorbed. "Oh, she's the Doctor now," he said was the feeling in the room. "They're the toughest guys in our crew, and they'd tell us if they didn't think she was the Doctor."

Gill spoke to the character of Yas – a 19-year-old with aspirations who gets pulled into the Doctor's world. "She's absolutely in awe of the Doctor and believes that everything she says is true," the actress explained. "The dynamic between the three friends is beautiful and develops over the course of the ten episodes."

That idea of "three friends" is a tip of the hat to the character of Graham, the third companion whose actor Bradley Walsh could not make the con. "He's the funniest person I've ever worked with," Gill said of the actor, though Whittaker noted that Graham as a character is the more subdued member of the team. That may be hard to believe after the video footage that was shown next – a clip of Walsh breaking into Whittaker's trailer while humming the Doctor Who theme song.

 

First look at brand new #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/UFAHhZEWAx

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) July 19, 2018

The real trailer for the season started as the Doctor said in voiceover, "All of this is new to me." The Doctor assembles her new team of companions to help navigate unseen ground in this universe. Though the trailer didn't reveal much, Chibnall promised a lot of "new" with this season including unseen worlds, aliens and characters.

Why the secrecy? "I really love television when it's a communal experience," the showrunner said.