It's long been a bone of contention for Dr. Who fans, particularly since the show was re-launched in 2005: why has there never been a female Doctor?

Although the character of The Master has been reinvented in the female form in recent times, there had been speculation before Peter Capaldi was cast that the first female Dr. Who may be on the cards.

Now, executive producer and head writer Stephen Moffat has finally addressed the matter in a new interview recorded for BBC Radio 4 at the Hay Festival recently.

He said that there was no sinister motive behind it - rather, he just liked actors for the role who happened to be male.

"I didn't not cast a woman, I cast a man," he said. "I didn't because I wanted to cast Matt Smith and I wanted to cast Peter Capaldi.

"I didn't think [casting a woman] was a terrible idea, I just thought, 'I want to cast those people' – that was it."

However, Moffat's time as showrunner on the series is set to come to an end as Series 10 draws to a close in the coming weeks - as well as Capaldi's reign as the Doctor - so perhaps new boss Chris Chibnall will see things differently - although Kris Marshall is a dead cert for the next role, at least.