This autumn marks the final appearance of Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who, with the Thirteenth Doctor bowing out in a BBC centenary special alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall. How this Doctor’s story ends is still a mystery – but it’s worth remembering she’s not the only character having her story wrapped up.
After all, long-time companion Yaz (Mandip Gill) is also set to depart in the autumn after four years in the TARDIS. And when we caught up with Gill at the Radio Times Covers Party this week, she promised an “exciting” and “emotional” exit for her character – even if it’s not the easiest one for fans to watch.
“I think just like me, just like my character, there’ll be a lot of tears,” she told RadioTimes.com when asked how fans would react to her character’s ending. “But I loved where it ended up.
“I think it was the right thing. It’s exciting. There’s a lot of emotion. And I think they’ll be – not pleasantly surprised, but I think they’ll realise that’s exactly where it should be going.”
With filming now finished, Gill is (in theory) experiencing her post-Doctor Who life, booking new roles (including her West End debut in 2:22 – A Ghost Story) and no longer beholden to the punishing production schedule. In reality, though, she says that the series will be with her forever.
“Is it ever post-Doctor Who?” she laughed. “I feel like it’s post-Doctor Who filming. Like that’s what we should say.
“Because yeah, we’ve been away from filming for a couple of months, but you’re still such a big part of this world. I speak to all the cast, obviously they’re some of my best friends. [And] you’re constantly talking about the show. You’re doing press for it. We’ve got the Easter special coming up.
“So I feel like we should rephrase that to post-filming because I’m always going to be a part of it.”
Still, it might get a little easier once the new cast settles in. With Gill and Whittaker gone (alongside fellow companion John Bishop), there’ll be a couple of vacancies on the show. So does she have any advice for the new Doctor and their best friend, whoever they might be?
“None at all,” Gill tells us. “Because you know what you get in, and especially the crew in Cardiff, everyone knows what’s going on. It’s like this beautiful machine that just works.”
She added: “They’re gonna be absolutely fine and it’s gonna fly by.”
See more photos from the Radio Times Covers Party 2022 in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale Tuesday 5th April. Subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door, and for more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 17th April. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.