Never has a TV casting caused so much chatter, so much controversy. But as actress Jodie Whittaker prepares to set our small screens a light as the 13th Time Lord on BBC One’s Doctor Who, she’s proven that she is more than ready to take on the role. A role which has, previously, always been given to men. Sure, women have appeared in the iconic series: Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), and Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). But they’ve always been cast as the ‘love interest’ or assistant – until now.

“What an extraordinary thing [to be the first female Doctor],” Whittaker told Stylist. “Let it be a moment in history, but let it move forward to the extent that it never gets talked about… that’d be ace.”

Although the announcement regarding Whittaker being cast in the role was met with many sexist comments last year, the reaction, on the whole, has been a positive one.

“We live in a very unique time, people upload every moment to the internet so you can see the excitement and, in some instances, the fear people have,” Whittaker said, in reference to reading reactions online. “But when you see those videos, from all different ages of all different people from all different worlds about a show – and I hadn’t even done it yet – that’s ace because, if they’re accepting me into their family, what we want to do is make that family bigger.”

Which is why Whittaker popped into the Stylist office to look back on the Twitter reactions from a year ago – the good and the bad. You can watch the video above.