Jodie Whittaker’s final Doctor Who appearance is around the corner. Centenary episode Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor will mark the last time she dons the longcoat – and though it’s been an emotional time, she’s excited for Ncuti Gatwa to take over the role.
Speaking during a press screening of the centenary episode, Whittaker said that her stint on the beloved series had been “the most special time”.
“I got to do it side-by-side with friends – us lot will be friends for life,” she said, before looking to the sci-fi series’s future. “But this family grows and it’ll be bigger than us, and it’ll go on and Ncuti will be extraordinary and he will bring an audience that we haven’t reached and his performance will be so magical.”
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She added that she’s excited for the next era of the show, saying: “Now we get to sit back and enjoy it as fans, knowing that whatever is to come we were once a part of that.
“You don’t know that when you’re about to step into something like this – all you feel is the narcissistic self pressure. But now, you can be out of it and go, ‘Right, we’re in the family and they can’t kick us out!’”
In terms of specific advice for Gatwa, Whittaker said she didn’t have any. “It’s yours for the taking. There’s no advice you can give,” she added. “I’m certainly not giving that phenomenal actor any advice. He doesn’t need it from me! Just… it’s yours to own… and you’ve earned it.”
Additional reporting by Morgan Jeffery.
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Sunday 23rd October at 7:30pm for The Power of the Doctor. The show is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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