Who will take over?
“Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker will leave the role of the titular Time Lord in fall 2022, BBC News confirmed Thursday.
The ”Black Mirror” actress, 39, has starred in the BBC sci-fi drama since 2018 and will be leaving alongside Chris Chibnall, who has served as showrunner since 2016, according to the outlet.
Whittaker, who plays the 13th Doctor, is the first woman to take on the role.
“In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes,” the “Broadchurch” actress said in a statement. “I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them.”
The “Black Mirror” actress said she and Chibnall — with whom she also worked on “Broadchurch” — “knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever.”
Though 11.5 million viewers watched Whittaker’s first episode as the Doctor, marking the show’s largest viewership in nearly a decade, the series’ ratings have recently decreased, with the most recent episode raking in a consolidated audience of just 6.3 million amid critiques of the show’s narrative direction, according to BBC.
Whittaker’s last appearance as the Doctor will be in a feature-length special, in which the character will — as with other casting changes — regenerate, airing next fall as part of the BBC’s Centenary celebrations.
The question now is who will take over from Whittaker ahead of the show’s 60th anniversary in 2023.
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