Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker: “I’m always the Doctor”
The actress is currently starring in Paramount+ drama One Night.
It’s a big week for Doctor Who fans with the first of three 60th anniversary episodes set to air this Saturday (25th November).
It’s not just a big moment for fans or for the returning David Tennant, but also for Doctors past and present as the sci-fi series returns to our screens.
In this week’s issue of Radio Times magazine, Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker spoke about her upcoming drama, One Night, but also the prospect of feeling as though the show is moving on without her.
One Night premieres the day after Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary and when asked about whether that huge moment is bittersweet for her, Whittaker said: “Not at all. What a thing to be part of and, you know, I’m never fired from it. I’m always the Doctor.”
She went on: “Now I get to see the joy in someone else’s eyes. I can’t wait. I’m new to this as well, because I didn’t really watch it before. So now I get to be a proper audience member and I get all the references! Now I understand it!”
Having left the TARDIS a year ago, Whittaker has recently been seen on our screens in critically acclaimed BBC series Time, alongside Bella Ramsey and Tamara Lawrance.
It’s safe to say that there’s quite the tonal shift between her stint as the Doctor versus some of these new roles and speaking about that, Whittaker said: “Those roles are more typical of my journey up to playing the Doctor.
“There was the odd bit of lightness thrown in but apart from that it was all Broadchurch and [Paddy Considine boxing film] Journeyman. So, the joy of the Doctor is this playfulness that was completely out of my comfort zone.”
As for now, her new Australian thriller, One Night, is set to be a mind-bending watch as we follow Whittaker as Tess, one of three friends whose bond was almost broken by a traumatic event one night 20 years ago.
But the twist comes when one of the friends has written her debut novel and based it on the night in question, bringing to the fore painful memories and an exploration of trauma.
Beyond One Night, Whittaker’s next role is narrating the BBC Julia Donaldson animation Tabby McTat, which will air on BBC One this Christmas.
Read the full interview with Jodie Whittaker in this week’s Radio Times magazine – out now.
