Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, is officially done with the gig, having already filmed her regeneration scene. In September of 2021, fans learned that series star Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall exit in the Fall of 2022, raising questions about the future of the series. While there is no news on a replacement, it’s possible that news could come soon. Whittaker’s Doctor still has to appear in three special new episodes, starting with Saturday night’s “Eve of the Daleks,” before she moves on from the role.
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Whittaker said that the regeneration scene was the most emotional day she has ever had on set. She added that it was a roller-coaster of emotion, and that it will be a while before she fully internalizes that it’s over.
“I’ve shot my version of regen, and it was singularly the most emotional day on set I think I’ve ever had,” Whittaker told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a really bizarre feeling, because it’s the best time I’ve ever had on a job, and I made the decision to leave it, so it’s a really strange thing to do to yourself. It feels like you’re giving yourself stitches — like, ‘Why have you done it?’ But… it felt right….It was a wonderfully-celebratory-slash-grief-ridden day that I could spend with the family that I’d made. I suppose the best thing about it is that the episodes are still on. So until they’re off, I don’t have to really get my head around the fact that it’s not my part!”
The elation and grief is something that she was a bit prepared for, after speaking with a previous fan-favorite incarnation of the Doctor.
“I was announced in…was I announced in 2017? Yeah. Weirdly, it’s like for me, it’s as if it’s been three years, I’ve done three seasons, but it’s been much longer than that,” Whittaker explained in a recent interview. “And actually, it has gone [quickly]. And I remember this was one thing that I really remember David [Tennant] saying to me before, right? Like before I started shooting. He said ‘this will go so quickly. It will feel like it goes in a whirlwind.’ And it has. And I think the one thing that I will be eternally grateful for and I think I can speak for Mandip [Gill] in this way is that we have always been aware of how ace it is. As much as you can be in the chaos and it is you know, it’s a mad whirlwind. Any film set is but this is particularly mad! It’s been yeah, it is a really joyous thing. And so it’s gone quick, but it’s like so rich, full of wonderful experiences.”
Doctor Who returns on Saturday.
