Jodie Whittaker's Doctor
The Thirteenth Doctor: Jodie Whittaker's energetic, friendship-first Time Lord and the first woman in the role.
The Thirteenth Doctor is the incarnation of the Time Lord played by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman ever cast as the Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who. Her run covered three series and five specials, plus a brief cameo later on. This Doctor is a cheerful adventurer who loves tinkering and building gadgets, prizes her friends above almost anything, and looks for ways out of trouble that avoid violence. She took over from the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, and handed the role on to the Fourteenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. The character has also turned up in spin-off material beyond the television show.
Quick Facts
- Actor
- Jodie Whittaker
- Announced
- 16 July 2017
- Showrunner
- Chris Chibnall
- Preceded by
- Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)
- Succeeded by
- Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant)
Facts from the source article.
Background
When Steven Moffat said in January 2016 that he would leave after the tenth series, Chris Chibnall was lined up as the next showrunner, and Capaldi soon confirmed his own exit. The idea of a female Doctor had floated around for decades: Tom Baker raised it in 1981, and co-creator Sydney Newman urged the BBC in 1986 to let the Doctor become a woman. Moffat's era prepared the ground with Time Lords changing sex on regeneration, most visibly in the Master's female form, Missy, played by Michelle Gomez. On 16 July 2017 the BBC revealed Whittaker after the Wimbledon men's final. She debuted in the Christmas special Twice Upon a Time and led the eleventh series. She and Chibnall had agreed on a three-series stint, finishing with specials that aired through 2022.
Did You Know?
- Whittaker's outfit was inspired by a photo from a 1988 issue of Sassy showing a woman in trousers, braces and a T-shirt.
- Whittaker said she avoided watching old episodes to prepare, finding it made her panic.
- Joanna Lumley played a comic version of the Thirteenth Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief special The Curse of Fatal Death.
- Mandip Gill compared Whittaker's high energy to Matt Smith's Doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who played the Thirteenth Doctor?
Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the Doctor, announced on 16 July 2017.
Who came before and after her?
She followed Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor and was succeeded by David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.
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