Doctor Who Star Reveals the Best Parts of Being the Doctor

Earlier this year it was announced that Jodie Whittaker will depart Doctor Who in 2022 after having played the Thirteenth Doctor since 2017's Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time" and now, as her time in the iconic role begins to wind down, Whittaker is opening up about her experiences, revealing the best parts of being the Doctor. In an appearance on BBC6 Music recently (via Digital Spy), Whittaker said that she had so many favorite experiences with Doctor Who that there could be a whole documentary about it, but that there were two in particular that stood out.

"I'd say the two headline highlights for me are having a brand-new family of cast and crew, and making a set of mates for life in an environment where we have such joy going into work every day and we're part of something so amazing," Whittaker said.

She also spoke about how she's enjoyed seeing how much Doctor Who means to the fans.

"You know, we've been handed our baton and we're really holding on tight to it," she said. "It's been such a beautiful journey for that, but also on the outside of it, seeing how much it means to Doctor Who fans of old, to new Whovians, to people who've kind of gone away and revisited. Whatever their stage of the Whovian journey they're in, just being half a second in that has been really exciting."

In July, it was announced that both Whittaker and Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall will exit the series in 2022 with Whittaker's final outing as the Doctor coming in the fall of 2022 in a feature-length adventure that's part of the BBC Centenary celebrations.

"In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes. I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them. My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life," Whittaker said at the time. "And I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories. We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I don't think I'll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I've learnt forever. I know change can be scary and none of us know what's out there. That's why we keep looking. Travel Hopefully. The Universe will surprise you. Constantly."

What have been your favorite moments from Whittaker's time as the Thirteenth Doctor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.