Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker admitted she is still “clinging on to the coattails” of her role as the Time Lord as she shared her emotions about leaving the show. A feature-length BBC centenary special, titled The Power Of The Doctor, will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on October 23 to end the actress’s time in the sci-fi series after playing the lead role since 2017.
Speaking on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Tuesday, Whittaker said she has been on an “emotional rollercoaster” since filming her final scenes in October last year.
She said: “I’ve had a whole year to get my head around leaving and I’m still not there. I’m still crying about it, I’m still clinging on to the coattails and reluctantly handing over the shoes.”
The 40-year-old added that she still has a couple of weeks to enjoy her time as the 13th Doctor and feels the final episode will be a celebration of her experience and the show. “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 negative,” she said.
Her final episode is the last of three specials which have aired this year and will see Whittaker’s Doctor fight for her existence against some of her deadliest enemies – The Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen.
It will be the first time the three classic adversaries of the Doctor have all featured in a single storyline since the show returned to BBC One in 2005. The Time Lord will face further issues including deciphering who is attacking a speeding bullet train on the edges of a distant galaxy and why seismologists are going missing from 21st century Earth.
The anniversary special will also see two of the Doctor’s companions from earlier eras reprising their roles, with Janet Fielding returning as Tegan Jovanka, companion to the fourth and fifth Doctors, and Sophie Aldred coming back as Ace, companion to the seventh Doctor. Also set to return is actor Sacha Dhawan, who last appeared as The Master in series 12’s final episode, The Timeless Children.
Whittaker revealed that the episode will be one for the Whovians but those who have not seen the sci-fi series before will be able to get a plethora of “all the greats” at once.
The actress became the first female Doctor in 2017, taking over the role from Peter Capaldi. She admitted that she never got to meet Capaldi while filming their regeneration scene and she has not yet met Ncuti Gatwa, who is taking over from her to become the show’s 14th Doctor.
“So, luckily for me, I cannot ruin it, I can’t give any spoilers, because I know nothing,” she said.
Whittaker confessed she had left him a string of messages on WhatsApp and said he had been “very generous” to actually reply to her. Sex Education star Gatwa, 29, will become the fourth Scot to take up the post, following Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant and Capaldi.
Showrunner Chris Chibnall is also set to leave the programme, to be replaced by Russell T Davies, who was behind the 2005 revival of the show.
The Power Of The Doctor will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday October 23.
