“Is the future going to be all-girl?“ Why yes, it is! Doctor Who has been laying the groundwork for a female doctor for the past few seasons, and she finally arrived today when Broadchurch star Jodie Whittaker was announced as the Thirteenth Doctor. Apparently this news is a secret that Whittaker has been carrying for some time, and now she can finally talk about her upcoming stint as Doctor Who‘s first Time Lady in the title role.
While speaking with BBC, Whittaker described keeping the news secret as “very nerve-racking,” before adding that “it feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be. It feels incredible.”
According to Whittaker, it didn’t even occur to her that the next Doctor could be a woman when she spoke with her Broadchurch boss, Chris Chibnall about a potential role on the series. “We had a strange chat earlier this year where he tricked me into thinking we were talking about Broadchurch,” related Whittaker. “And I started to quiz him about his new job in Wales, and asked him if I could be a baddie! And he quickly diverted the conversation to suggest I should consider auditioning to be the 13th [Doctor]. It was the most incredible chat because I asked every question under the sun, and I said I’d take a few weeks to decide whether I was going to audition. He got a phone call within 24 hours. He would’ve got a phone call sooner, but my husband was away and there was a time difference!”
Whittaker also had a message for Doctor Who fans: ‘I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”
You can read the rest of Whittaker’s first Doctor q&a at this link. She will make her first appearance on the series during the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special on December 25th.
Are you excited to see Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor in action? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: BBC
