"Doctor Who" has been on television for five decades now. And during all those years, viewers of the popular BBC show have only watched male actors portray the iconic and extraterrestrial Time Lord dubbed as The Doctor. Steven Moffat, the current showrunner of the British sci-fi TV program, has finally announced that there might be a female Doctor coming our way.

"There easily could be a female Doctor," Moffat said, as quoted by The Age. "I think the next time might be a female Doctor. I don't see why not. I think it's good to do that."

According to The Age, the possibility of a female Doctor once again came alive when the Time Lord's arch-nemesis The Master, known as Missy, returned on the show's eighth season as a woman. Naturally, this spurned fans to believe that if the Doctor's evil counterpart can return in a different gender, why not the Doctor, too?

Moffat also went on to explain to Wales Online that the "unfazed Doctor's reaction to the gender change should be proof that it is matter of fact for Time Lords to change gender when they 'regenerate'," The Age further reports. The Doctor, currently being portrayed by Peter Capaldi, didn't seem shocked by the gender swap, and instead focused on Missy's (Michelle Gomez) evil plans to bring demise to planet Earth.

"He doesn't seem to register the fact that his old friend is now a woman. So obviously, he doesn't think it's a remarkable thing to happen. We must assume that gender is quite fluid on Gallifrey," he explained, as quoted by The Age.

Regenerations in "Doctor Who" occur when a Time Lord's body gets too "old or injured beyond repair." He then morphs into a new person with a different physical appearance, but with his old memories still intact, The Age noted.

Twelve Doctors have come and gone during the course of the show, which first aired in 1963 and was rebooted in 2005, the news outlet reports. The Doctors were portrayed by several actors namely: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and presently, Capaldi.

"Doctor Who" Christmas Episode and Season 9

"Doctor Who" recently wrapped up its eighth season in November, but the show will return for its Christmas episode which will air on BBC One on December 25. According to BBC, the plot of the episode reads: "In Doctor Who, the Doctor and Clara face their Last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!"

The episode, titled "Last Christmas," will star Capaldi, Jenna Coleman as the Doctor's current companion Clara Oswald, Nick Frost, Michael Troughton, and Nathan McMullen, BBC noted.

Watch the trailer for the Christmas episode below.

The show's ninth season will air in 2015, according to Metro. Season 9's run will be uninterrupted and will not be split into two parts.