Doctor Who Star Jodie Whitaker Confirms Third Season Return

After a year away from our television screens, Doctor Who returned earlier this month to great fanfare. The series' latest season saw Jodie Whittaker returning as the first female iteration of The Doctor -- and it looks like she's sticking around for the foreseeable future. As Whittaker recently confirmed to Entertainment Weekly, she is definitely going to do a third season of new episodes, preemptively squashing rumors that could potentially suggest otherwise.

"Yes, I'm doing another season," Whittaker explained. "That might be a massive exclusive that I'm not supposed to say, but it's unhelpful for me to say [I don't know] because it would be a massive lie! [Laughs] I absolutely adore it. At some point, these shoes are going to be handed
on, but it's not yet. I'm clinging on tight!"

Whittaker's debut as The Doctor was met with a lot of positive buzz in 2018, with her season having some major standout episodes. Her first season as the character got the highest average ratings for the show since 2010.

"It's more than an honor to play The Doctor," Whittaker said in an interview when she initially landed the role. "It means remembering everyone I used to be while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can't wait. 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."

"We're off again!" showrunner Chris Chibnall said in a statement when the current season was announced. "Well we never actually stopped - as Jodie Whittaker's Doctor and friends have been winning the hearts of families across the nation this autumn, we've been busy with a whole new set of action-packed adventures for the Thirteenth Doctor. We adore making this show and have been blown away by the response from audiences, so we can't wait to bring more scares, more monsters and more Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole to BBC One. Brilliant!"

Are you excited to see Jodie Whittaker stick around on Doctor Who? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Doctor Who airs Sundays on both BBC One and BBC America. For exact air times, check your local listings.