Jodie Whittaker on the “emotional rollercoaster” of leaving Doctor Who
Although it’s been almost a year since Jodie Whittaker announced she was going to leave Doctor Who as the lead character of the BBc sci-fi show, and since them there has been near constant drama with announcements of new and exciting developments coming in the show – the actor has admitted that it’s been an “emotional rollercoaster” dealing with letting go of the keys to the TARDIS.
Whittaker, who will star in her final Doctor Who on Sunday 23rd October in The Power of the Doctor feature-length special told the Zoe Ball radio show that despite the time, she continued to find it hard to let go of the famous role.
“Well, you know what, it’s been such an emotional rollercoaster,” said Whittaker on the BBC Radio 2 show.
She added: “I finished filming this episode in October last year, so I’ve had a whole year to get my head around leaving, and I’m still not there.”
Indeed, Whittaker admitted that she was still emotional when thinking about moving on from the series which she has starred in since taking over from Peter Capaldi in 2017.
“I’m still crying about it, I’m still clinging on to the coattails, reluctantly handing over the shoes. I’ve still got a couple of weeks to just, you know, enjoy the moment.
“It’s only a good thing to end something and be just grief ridden because it was such a wonderful experience. So there’s no negatives.”
But can she tell us anything about what’s to come next with her successor Ncuti Gatwa, who will star as the pilot of the TARDIS under a new era of Doctor Who with Russell T Davies back as showrunner now that Chris Chibnall has left.
The answer is fairly clear:
“So, luckily for me, I cannot ruin it, I can’t give any spoilers, because I know nothing,” said Whittaker.
Well it was worth asking!
From the trailer to The Power of the Doctor which the star told us will be “one for the Whovians” it looks as if Jodie Whittaker’s regeneration scene will at least start in the special episode that coincides with the 100th birthday of the BBC, but it’s not clear whether we will get a glimpse of Ncuti Gatwa in that episode or if there will be a twist that sees us waiting until the 60th anniversary specials of 2023 to see him for the first time.
Indeed, perhaps there might even be another twist in the ongoing saga before we reach the 60th birthday which will see the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate amongst others.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and find out what happens next…
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