Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker excited for ‘infinite magic’ of Ncuti Gatwa’s Time Lord
Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker reflects on Ncuti Gatwa’s runs s the Doctor. (Getty/BBC)
Jodie Whittaker has revealed her excitement at Ncuti Gatwa taking over as the Time Lord in the upcoming season of Doctor Who.
The actor made history as the first woman to play the character in the hit show, from 2017 until 2022. Her final episode, “The Power of the Doctor”, aired just over a year ago and ended in an epic – and surprising – cliffhanger as she regenerated into the returning David Tennant.
Tennant and Catherine Tate will step back into their roles as the Doctor Donna duo for the three-episode 60th anniversary speciasl later this month, helmed by returning showrunner Russell T Davies.
And Sex Education star Gatwa will take over the keys to the Tardis in time for the Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road”, before kicking off his first season next year.
Now, Whittaker, the 13th Doctor, who recently starred opposite Bella Ramsey in BBC series Time, is joining other former stars of the ever-popular sci-fi series to share her thoughts on Gatwa’s casting.
In an interview with Attitude magazine, she said: “He’s going to bring an infinite amount of magic. I cannot wait. He’s going to smash it and I’m going to be on the front row, very excited.”
It echoes her words last year when she spoke about her successor in journeys through time and space. “It’s yours for the taking,” she said. “I’m certainly not giving that phenomenal actor advice. He doesn’t need it from me. It’s yours to own, and you’ve earned it.”
More recently, Tennant also gave his verdict on Gatwa after seeing him on the Doctor Who set. “God, he’s good casting. It’s very exciting to think about what’s gonna happen to the show when he takes over,” he told SFX magazine.
A host of LGBTQ+ guest stars are also joining the case in upcoming episodes. Yasmin Finney, Neil Patrick Harris and Miriam Margolyes will appear in the 60th anniversary specials, while Jonathan Groff, Jinkx Monsoon, Mary Malone and Pete MacHale will pop up as either allies or enemies of Gatwa’s Doctor.
The first of the Doctor Who specials, “The Star Beast”, airs at 6.30pm on BBC1 on Saturday (25 November). Doctor Who Unleashed, a behind-the-scenes look at the episode, follows at 7.30pm on BBC3.
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