With this news sufficiently old and out of the loop, now it’s time to ask the question: why was it a question at all about Whittaker’s wages for Doctor Who?
It was recently part of Doctor Who news that Jodie Whittaker would be making the same amount of money as Peter Capaldi — and above all that it was something she had to fight for. Even though it was brought up when she became the Doctor back in July of 2017, it was brought up again at the NTA’s when she picked up an award on behalf of Chris Chibnall for Broadchurch.
From Digital Spy:
"More from Winter is ComingFor All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule WesterosConfirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”Speaking backstage at the National Television Awards, Whittaker said: “It’s an incredibly important time and the notion [of equal pay] should be supported.“It’s a bit of a shock that it’s a surprise to everyone that it should be supported!“I know I do not speak just on behalf of the women here, I speak on behalf of the men and the women,” she added, stating that people of both sexes believe they should be paid equally."
It might feel like a weird time to bring this up, considering many outlets chose to pick it up in January when Jodie Whittaker made the statement. And while it’s, of course, great news that she’ll be getting the same pay than her predecessor, Peter Capaldi, is that really the news?
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Or is the news the fact that we had to make it news?
I know that it’s been an issue with the BBC about equal rights pay for years when it was found out men were getting paid over 150,000 pounds sterling more than their women in prime time. Truth be told, the fact that this made the news on so many outlets when it did isn’t because we’re on a hiatus and we didn’t have more to write about. It’s because it’s actually a shock, and some people will comment that it’s wrong, that Jodie Whittaker gets paid the same amount, for doing the same amount of work.
Next: Jodie Whittaker looks to have gained some notoriety among younger fans
It’s an insane notion, and it’s things like this that are the beginning of what’s changing in Doctor Who that go beyond characters and sonic types. Now we’re getting into the adult news, where questions are asked.
Why is this news to begin with?
Despite this tangent, I am happy that the BBC are paying Jodie Whittaker the same amount, and that the people who are surprised she had the notion to ask to continue to learn.