Jodie Whittaker reunites with Sophie Aldred and Janet Fielding
There’s been a lot of reuniting in the world of Doctor Who in recent times. Former showrunner Russell T Davies has returned to the BBC science fiction series after more than a decade away, David Tennant has reunited with his former companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, for the 60th-anniversary specials – and there were a lot of old Doctors and companions on show in the October 2022 Jodie Whittaker swansong episode, The Power of the Doctor.
And it’s from that final chapter of the Whittaker era that the latest Doctor Who reunion has come as two of the most popular companions from the series who returned to the show for The Power of the Doctor has appeared on stage in America with Jodie Whittaker.
The trio were in Los Angeles this weekend for the Gallifrey One fan convention, and Fielding and Aldred joined Jodie Whittaker on stage at the end of her panel discussion. (See below)
It was the first large-scale fan convention appearance that Jodie Whittaker has made since leaving the show in October 2022, having played the Thirteenth Doctor since 2017 when she took over from Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth. Recently, Whittaker’s first drama role since leaving Doctor Who was also announced, One Night, which will be released on Paramount+.
Sophie Aldred played Ace between 1987 and 1989 opposite Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor, and was the final companion of the classic era before the show was axed, and didn’t return regularly until 2005 when it was revived by Russell T Davies.
Janet Fielding played Tegan Jovanka, an Australian flight attendant who travelled with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor and Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor in the 1980s.
Doctor Who will return to TV screens in November 2023 with three one-hour special episodes penned by Russell T Davies to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the show. The stories will star David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. Other people confirmed to be appearing in the episodes include Yasmin Finney as Rose and Neil Patrick Harris as an unnamed enemy of the Doctor.
Season 14 of Doctor Who will follow the anniversary specials, with Ncuti Gatwa making his opening appearance in a full episode as the Fifteenth Doctor around the festive season of 2023 – and the full season, which co-stars Coronation Street’s Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday is expected to play out on 2024. We also know that the season will feature EastEnders legend Anita Dobson, and a little bit more about her character.
The 2023 episodes will be the first as part of a new deal between Disney and the BBC which sees Disney+ become the streaming home globally for Doctor Who.
The 60th anniversary year will also see celebrations with a large-scale audio adventure from Big Finish Productions called Once and Future that will star multiple incarnations of the Doctor as well as many guest stars including Georgia Tennant as Jenny, the Doctor’s daughter.
- Looking for some entertainment? Have you tried our general knowledge quiz questions and answers yet?
- Want to supercharge your streaming? Take a look at our guide to Netflix secret codes for TV and movie fans
- Love TV and movies? Try Screen OD on YouTube...
