If you watched the Wimbledon men’s finals, have some connection to social media or you’re living next door to a very loud Whovian then you will have undoubtedly heard that Jodie Whittaker has been announced as the 13th Doctor Who lead. While that news is already old news, albeit groundbreaking for the selection of the first female Doctor, there’s going to be a few of you asking “who’s Jodie Whittaker and how did she land one of the most coveted role in sci-fi TV?”
However, perhaps the biggest question is how well she’s been received by the Doctor Who fans online with such a landmark appointment going to one of the lesser known contenders. To answer both of these questions and more, here’s a quick look at all of the details and a chance to watch the reveal trailer once again to get familiar with the 13th Doctor.
Who is Jodie Whittaker?
If you’ve been watching Broadchurch then you’ll already be able to answer that question. She played one of the central roles alongside David Tennant and Olivia Coleman, starring as Beth Latimer, who’s son’s murder is the focus of Series 1. She reprised the role in Series 2 and 3 with the most recent episodes coming to a close earlier in 2017.
She was also in the 2011 Black Mirror episode, The Entire History Of You, set in an alternate universe where everyone has a digital device recording everything that they do, so she’s got at least a little sci-fi experience. You can add Attack The Block to the list too, where she acted alongside Star Wars: The Force Awakens star John Boyega, so she’s had some time fighting an alien invasion too, which should stand her in good stead as the new Doctor Who.
Introducing the 13th Doctor Who:
How did she land the 13th Doctor Who lead role?
This can be linked to her time on Broadchurch. Not only did she star alongside former Doctor David Tennant, but it was also created and written by Chris Chibnell, the new show runner for Doctor Who. He was the head writer and co-producer of Torchwood, so an easy decision for the replacement for Steven Moffat. He will have been instrumental in appointing Jodie to be the 13th Doctor.
Fellow Broadchurch star Olivia Coleman was also rumoured to be in the running for the part, with a lot of people calling for the 13th Doctor to be the first female in the history of the show, including Billy Piper and Peter Capaldi. It’s possible that other schedules ruled some of the bigger names out of the running, but Chibnall has commented that Whittaker’s “audition for the Doctor simply blew us all away”, so it sounds like it it all came down to the call on the day.
Fan response
While on the face of things with a casual glance through Twitter posts tagged with #DoctorWho, you’ll see mostly positive comments about the appointment of Jodie Whittaker, opinions are more divided than ever now that it has been officially announced. When you look at the replies to all of the mainstream positivity, like the one below, you can see that there are a lot of people that question the decision to make the 13th Doctor female.
We respect all your opinions on this but think of it this way – Jodie isn’t a new female Doctor, she’s a new Doctor. #DoctorWho #Doctor13
— Big Blue Box Podcast (@bigblueboxpcast) July 16, 2017
There’s more than enough counter argument to the criticism, but the negative comments imply that some fans will not be tuning in to the new show. Doctor Who casting has always been pretty contentious, with Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi having their doubters, but they managed to win fans over when they made their debuts.
We’re expecting it to be a similar case for the 13th Doctor, but it will all come down to viewing figures for Jodie Whittaker’s first full stint in Series 11. Perhaps the best comments on social media are the ones that celebrate the impact of a new female lead in the world of sci-fi and if you look at the likes of Star Trek Discovery and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it’s already pretty successful.
When will we see 13th Doctor regeneration?
Jodie Whittaker will be making her first appearance in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special, The Doctors, which will be on Christmas Day. The episode sees Peter Capaldi in the process of holding back his regeneration and teaming up with the original Doctor, played by David Bradley, who has the big shoes of William Hartnell to fill.
The 13th Doctor will then go on to star in Series 11, which will air in Autumn 2018. She’ll also have brand new companions along for the ride, following Bill’s departure at the end of Series 10, so there are more announcements still to come from the new Doctor Who camp.
