Jodie Whittaker is leaving the lead role on Doctor Who later this year. But one thing ends and another begins: appearing at the Brit Awards the other night, she revealed that she is pregnant with her second child.
Well, technically the designer of the dress she wore revealed it on Instagram: “The beautiful #jodiewhittaker in our custom made beanbag ball dress for #thebritawards2022,” a representative from clothing brand CIMONE wrote on its Instagram. “[T]he dress is all made from end of life materials and was created specifically to incorporate her pregnancy, while allowing Jodie to retain her sense of self.”
This will be Whittaker’s second child. There’s something sweet about the first female Doctor starting something new and beautiful as her time on the show comes to an end.
Doctor Who boss thinks fans will remember the Whittaker era fondly
Whittaker’s run as the Doctor has had its share of detractors, but executive producer Matt Strevens is keeping things in perspective. “Opinion is fickle, so you take all that with a pinch of salt,” he told Doctor Who Magazine. “Every Doctor gets it, every showrunner gets it. I loved Steven Moffat’s reaction when Russell T Davies was announced as coming back recently – writing ‘RTD MUST GO!’ on Instagram. I thought that was so witty, because there’s always someone waiting to have a pop. And that’s good, in a way. The great thing is we have freedom of speech and people are free to say what they want.”
Every era of Doctor Who has had its massive champions, and every era and every Doctor has had people going ‘It’s not like it used to be…’ And then, afterwards, a lot of the kind of contemporary commentary disappears. With a short distance of time, there is huge affection looking back…I think, when the story is written, Jodie’s Doctor will be thought of, quite rightly, with huge affection. And love, quite frankly.
Strevens also a lot of positive things to say about Chris Chibnall, who has served as showrunner during Whittaker’s tenure. ‘‘I love Chris, and it’s been an utter honour and a privilege to go on the journey with him,” Strevens said. “I think his place in the canon, and the history of Doctor Who, is assured.”
It was Chris who wanted to bring in a female actor as the Doctor, that was one of his prime criteria for doing the show – at a time when we didn’t have Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, and all of that. That decision – back in 2015, 2016 – was still unusual, in terms of having that kind of action hero as a role model. And it proved to be a brilliant choice. Now, five years on, you go, ‘Why was it even remarkable?’ But it always takes someone to actually do it, and Chris did it…Because, for the showrunner of Doctor Who… my God, the responsibility is immense. It’s immense. It’s not just writing the scripts, it’s everything that comes with it – the weight of expectation. He’s borne it brilliantly well, and with class.
Whittaker and company still have two Doctor Who specials left before she exits. We still don’t know who her replacement will be.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t Metro, Radio Times
