With legions of Doctor Who fans putting their voices behind a future regeneration of the lead character, The Doctor, being a woman, the possibility has seemed to grow stronger throughout the years, with an episode of the series even mentioning the possibility back in 2011.
Since then we have seen a female regenerated Master through Missy played by Michelle Gomez, and fans have since thrown their favourite actresses into the mix in discussions on who they'd like to take up the mantle.
However, one candidate has put herself forward for the role, with Agent Carter's Hayley Atwell telling one fan during a Twitter Q&A that if she were to star in Doctor Who, she'd like to play the Doctor.
Former Doctor Who actress Karen Gillan has said she'd be all for a female Doctor, citing Alex Kingston and Dame Helen Mirren as good choices, and current Doctor Peter Capaldi even said during this year's San Diego Comic-Con, "We sort of live in a world where everything's so easy and accessible. The Doctor's mysterious, he's a Time Lord. He's not a guy."
Despite all that, seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy has made comments suggesting he'd prefer the Doctor remain a male, and showrunner Steven Moffat has also spoken about the potential change.
He said: "Do you know how it will happen? It will not happen that somebody sits down and says we must turn the Doctor into a woman. That is not how you cast the Doctor. A person will pop into the showrunner's head and they'll think. 'Oh my God, what if it was that person?' And when that person is a woman, that's the day it will happen."
Doctor Who returns for its ninth series on BBC One and BBC America on September 19.
Tagged in Doctor Who Hayley Atwell