Jodie Whittaker looks back on her tenure on "Doctor Who" with immense fondness, the actress revealed to The Times of London in an interview published on Saturday—stating unequivocally that she "wouldn't hesitate" to reprise her role if the right opportunity arose. "It was an absolute joy," she enthused.
Whittaker made a brief but memorable return to the BBC production for a cameo during the Doctor's regeneration scene portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa. This particular regeneration left both fans and the series in a state of suspense. Showrunner Russell T. Davies departed from the series, and Gatwa's appearance seemed to blur the lines as he appeared to channel Billie Piper’s Rose, the erstwhile companion of both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s iterations of the Doctor.
Regrettably, Whittaker remained tight-lipped about any upcoming developments. "Nobody tells you anything. They didn't even inform Billie and me that the other was involved," she explained. "I arrived on set, and half the crew didn't even know I was appearing. The thing that never fails to amuse me about 'Doctor Who' is the level of secrecy. It's like, 'Oh, I need a day off work,' but I can't even say what for."
Whittaker also reflected on the historic significance of becoming the first female Doctor in the show’s storied history. "There had to be a first, and I didn't fully grasp its magnitude at the time," she admitted. "In the show, I didn't play it up as Jack Lemmon did in 'Some Like It Hot'—you know, 'I’m a girl, I’m a girl!' I just was. But once the announcement was made, despite a few grumpy reactions, for many, it felt like a truly momentous occasion," she added.
The actress concluded her time on the series in October 2022. "I filmed my version of the regeneration, and it was, without a doubt, the most emotionally charged day on set I've ever experienced," Whittaker told Entertainment Weekly. "It's an incredibly surreal feeling because it was the best time I've ever had on a job, and I made the conscious decision to leave it. It's like inflicting stitches on yourself—thinking, 'Why did you do that?' But... it just felt right."
"It was a day filled with both celebration and grief, spent with the family I had forged on set," she continued. "I suppose the silver lining is that the episodes are still airing. So, until they're off the air, I don't really have to come to terms with the fact that it's no longer my role!"
