Jodie Whittaker on the “rage” around her Doctor Who casting

Screen OD staff

Jodie Whittaker broke new ground in British television in 2017 when she was cast as the first woman to play the Doctor in Doctor Who as part of the regular television series.

And although most welcomed the Broadchurch star with open arms to the Doctor Who family when it was announced that she would be replacing Peter Capaldi, there were some who were incredibly resistant to the idea of a woman playing the famous Time Lord.

Speaking in the most recent edition of Radio Times magazine, Jodie Whittaker, whose final episode as the Doctor, The Power of the Doctor, airs on Sunday 23rd October at 7.30pm in the UK, detailed her reaction to some of the backlash to her casting.

“‘No bras in the TARDIS!’” said Whittaker.

She added: “‘Come on! What’s your argument? I’m. Playing. An. Alien! There’s a fine line between the hilarity of it and the fact that it’s terrifying that a woman being given a particular job can cause so much rage. It’s just a tiny vial of rage, of course, but the anger, the negativity, are always the loudest.”

Jodie Whittaker will be replaced as the Doctor by Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa. It is at this stage unclear when we will first see Gatwa on screen, although the trailer for The Power of the Doctor suggests that the regeneration will at least begin during the special feature-length episode that coincides with the BBC’s 100th birthday weekend celebrations.

Russell T Davies has replaced outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall and will be overseeing the 60th-anniversary specials of Doctor Who in 2023, and will be in charge of the first full season with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, which is understood to begin full production in the coming month or so.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate have been confirmed to be returning to Doctor Who as part of the 60th-anniversary celebration episodes, reprising their roles of the Doctor and Donna Noble.