While she’d love a sonic screwdriver of her own in real life, Jodie Whittaker is more than happy with what fantasy and Doctor Who has brought her so far.
The 13th doctor is returning to celebrate her third year as a Time Lord, and the controversy over the first woman in the role is long died down.
New Year’s Return
The 38-year-old Yorkshire actor has endured her fair share of criticism during her first season in space and time, but Whovians or not, everyone is thrilled to see her return in the new year.
As the title suggests, Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks also sees the return of some iconic baddies, kind of hiding behind the couch.
Speaking to the BINGE guide, Whittaker admits that even though she was shocked by her close encounter, even after two full seasons and three Christmas specials of alien-busting.
In addition to ensuring not to spill out any spoilers, the new series takes where the 12th season left things, she revealed.
“This is one of the first times The Doctor is away from the gang. She has no idea about what is going on Earth so we are in a position where The Doctor is alone in this prison while the gang are together on Earth.”
While the return of the Daleks will be a thrill, Whittaker says the Master has been her favorite so far.
”Just because the writing and the length of scenes for me and Sacha (Dhawan) were just brilliant. We would have four or five pages of stand-offs. I love his trickery, his revenge and how he is so quick to switch on you. I found all of that incredible.”
She adds: Playing The Doctor, with all these villains and monsters, is amazing but Master and I have our own relationship and our knowledge. ”
Early Days On The Sets
Looking back on her three years at work, Whittaker remembers her early days on the set.
“I remember my first big speech on a bloomin’ crane,” she reveals with a laugh. “I was completely obsessed with the health and safety of the crane. Once we went and we realised it was all right and me and Tim Shaw weren’t going to fall off, we got into it. It was pi**ing it down [raining] too. It was really Welsh weather … everything about it was epic.”
Long breaks between recording the new season and the Christmas season are “something very touching,” she said, “waiting for everyone to return with a group of loved ones. It makes you incredibly nostalgic and incredibly grateful that we have something extraordinary to come back to. You miss the banter and the emotional rollercoaster of everything. Every time you come back to shoot you think you know what it is but then you see on the screen with music and everything done in the background, it ends up being raised at a level you would never have imagined. ”
Most Important Lessons
“Do you know what happens to me?” she offers. “It’s brilliant … people make things for me. I love stuff like that and I love how creative the fans are. In every walk of life, there’s Whovians. I love the unexpectedness of it all, the unexpected warmth and how uniting it is. We have this forever connection because of what the show means to them, to me and everyone on the show.”
One-time doctor, David Tennant, said the most painful intestinal scenes she recorded as a Doctor were her last – which Whittaker was expected to be very anxious to deal with.
“Even when I think about leaving, it makes me cry,” she says. “If it happens, I can just explain that it will be my most painful time.”
She still considers her first episode to be very special to her career: “It was a great way to get into the game. The way the character gets on the train but also continues in Peter Capaldi’s Doctor costume to the end is the way my Doctor arrived as part of the family. Emotionally, that is a very special episode for me. ”
And her great lesson from the Doctor?
“That love and hope transcends time and space. That’s a big lesson to learn in these challenging times. I think that is the thing that is a wonder to play and I hope, the older I get, that I don’t lose that in life – that light at the end.”
