Brace yourselves for Jodie Whittaker’s cool Doctor Who costume
David Farnor | On 19, Nov 2017
Jodie Whittaker’s costume for Doctor Who has been revealed – and brace yourselves for something wonderfully colourful.
The Broadchurch and Attack the Block star was unveiled as the latest Time Lord to step into the TARDIS earlier this year, prompting excitement from most fans, with a small backlash from a minority because she is the first female Doctor to lead the series.
Whittaker has taken that small contingent in her stride, saying in a statement: “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”
Her outfit (announced on Twitter) is almost designed to quell such concerns, lovingly nodding to previous incarnations of the Time Lord, from Matt Smith’s boots-and-high-trousers geek chic to braces that would have been appreciated by both Smith and Patrick Troughton. A long coat, a la David Tennant, meanwhile, covers a top with a rainbow stripe that recalls Tom Baker’s scarf and Colin Baker’s coat. It marks a notable contrast to the dark look of Peter Capaldi’s Doctor, who will bid farewell this Christmas in a special that will also feature David Bradley playing William Hartnell’s Doctor. You can see a trailer for that here.
Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who companions revealed: Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill
23rd October 2017
Bradley Walsh will be the companion to Jodie Whittaker’s new Doctor, the BBC has officially announced.
Rumours that the actor and TV show host would step into the TARDIS for the new series of Doctor Who circulated earlier this year, to much surprise and befuddlement among the fan community. Now, the BBC has confirmed that Walsh will, indeed, be by the Thirteenth Doctor’s side next year as Graham – exactly the kind of unexpected thinking that suggests the new take on Who is set to be hugely promising.
Even more promising is the announcement that Walsh will not be the only sidekick on the show’s next season. New head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall, who made the decision to cast the first ever woman in the iconic role, is also shaking up who will travel with the Doctor in the TARDIS, with Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill both in the regular line-up as Ryan and Yasmin. Also joining the series in a returning role is Sharon D Clarke.
The new season will be a 10-week run of 50-minute episodes in Autumn 2018, kicking off with a feature-length hour for the opening launch.
Chibnall says: “The new Doctor is going to need new friends. We’re thrilled to welcome Mandip, Tosin and Bradley to the Doctor Who family. They’re three of Britain’s brightest talents and we can’t wait to see them dive into brand new adventures with Jodie’s Doctor. Alongside them, we’re delighted that Sharon D Clarke is also joining the show.”
Walsh adds: “I remember watching William Hartnell as the first Doctor. Black and white made it very scary for a youngster like myself. I was petrified but even though I’d watch most of it from behind the sofa through my fingers, I became a fan. I then queued up for ages to get into the Carlton picture house in Watford to watch the great Peter Cushing appear as the Doctor in a full length feature film made in glorious colour. Am I thrilled to be part of this whole ground breaking new dawn for the Doctor?? Oh yes!”
Gill says: “I am over the moon to be joining the Doctor Who family. This is an iconic show with an amazing fanbase and I look forward to everything that brings. Certain roles seem unattainable and this is one of those, so much so I didn’t believe it to be true for the first few weeks. To be working alongside the likes of Jodie, Bradley and my old friend Tosin is thrilling. This show is worlds away from the work I’ve done previously and that’s the part that excites me the most.”
Cole comments: “I’m grateful and excited to be a part of this journey with the team. I’m looking forward to jumping in this Doctor Who universe.”
Jodie Whittaker Doctor Who video hits 16 million views
19th July 2017
The specially filmed scene introducing Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor has been watched over 16 million times online – and counting.
The minute-long sequence debuted on BBC One after the Men’s Wimbledon final on Sunday and on BBC social media channels around the world. The reveal of the first ever female Doctor has since been watched 9.8 million times on the BBC One Facebook channel so far, with over 2.5 million views on the Doctor Who Twitter account – making it the most successful tweet of all time for Doctor Who.
Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “To see the overwhelmingly positive response to the news that Jodie Whittaker will star as the 13th Doctor, and know that the reveal has had over sixteen million views online so far, is just phenomenal. It’s exhilarating to see Doctor Who engaging with people on so many different levels and I cannot wait for the audience to see her in action on BBC ONE this Christmas.”
The teaser trailer, which debuted on Friday evening before the BBC One 6 O’Clock News, has been watched a further 4.8 million times online.
Jodie Whittaker will make her debut as the Doctor in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, when the current Doctor – played by Peter Capaldi – will regenerate.
Jodie Whittaker is the 13th Doctor
16th July 2017
Jodie Whittaker has been unveiled as the 13th Doctor.
The reveal, which was made after the Men’s Singles Final at Wimbledon 2017, had fans on tenterhooks waiting to confirm whether the rumours of the Broadchurch star taking the key to the TARDIS would be true. And, sure enough, the last-minute odds-on favourite was confirmed as the successor to Peter Capaldi, marking the first time a woman has ever taken the role in the long-running sci-fi series.
Whittaker is no stranger to sci-fi, with a starring role in Attack the Block on her CV. She comes to the role fresh from the third season of Broadchurch, a show that has seen her win audiences over with her sensitive portrayal of Beth Latimer, the mother of young Danny Latimer, who was murdered at the start of Season 1. The ITV drama was penned by Chris Chibnall, the new head writer taking over the position from Steven Moffat for Who’s next season. Their reunion is a hugely promising one, not only because of Whittaker’s talent, which has been evident ever since her breakthrough turn in Venus, but because Chibnall has demonstrated over the course of Broadchurch’s three seasons to be highly competent at writing complex, nuanced, three-dimensional female characters.
The prospect of both teaming up to travel the universe in the iconic blue box is an exciting one. After the recent introduction of Michelle Gomez as Missy, a female incarnation of The Master, the show has been teasing the idea of gender-swapping Time Lords, with the Season 10 finale seeing The Master joke: “Will the future be all girl?”
“I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey – with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet,” Whittaker said in a statement. “It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”
Chibnall added: “After months of lists, conversations, auditions, recalls, and a lot of secret-keeping, we’re excited to welcome Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we’re thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away. Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role. The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way.”
Peter Capaldi commented: “Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm. She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.”
Whittaker will appear in the Christmas special this December, when she will take over the TARDIS console from Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor – ushering in a new era of Doctor Who, when, for the first time in decades, the show will hold the potential to do something genuinely new and unpredictable, not to mention inspire a whole generation of new female fans.
“It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be. It feels incredible,” Whittaker added.
“I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”
Here’s the teaser video giving us our first look at Whittaker in the role – read on for the full first official image of her (albeit not in her final costume).
Still not caught up on Doctor Who? The whole of Season 10 is still on BBC iPlayer as a box set. Read our reviews here.
Photo: Colin Hutton