Why Jodie Whittaker was “so sad” making the Doctor Who holiday special
By Dan Selcke
The Doctor Who holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” will be an emotional one for fans, and the cast was feeling it just as acutely.
The annual Doctor Who holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” airs on New Year’s Day — check out some advance images throughout this post. It’s the first dose of Doctor Who fans have gotten in a while, so it’s cause for celebration, but there’s a bittersweet element too: the episode will be the last time that companions Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) and Graham (Bradley Walsh) appear as series regulars.
We don’t know what happens in the episode to make them leave the show, and Jodie Whittaker (the Doctor) isn’t spilling, but she was broken up about it on set. “I was absolutely beside myself,” Whittaker told Entertainment Weekly. “I don’t have a poker face. It’s my actual job, so I should be better at it. But I remember when they called wrap on that day, Tosin was like, ‘Calm Down!’ I’d gone, I’d absolutely gone.”
"In a way, it’s just reflective of the time we’ve had and this journey. I’m really lucky. Me and [cast member Mandip Gill, who plays Yaz] are still in the journey, but, because it was the end of us four, and us four have been so tight, it was one of those things. I know that in my life, this is one of the best things that will ever happen to me and the best times that I will ever have on set. This job is this thing that is untouchable. There’ll be a million other amazing experiences, hopefully. But if I do this for 20 seasons I know my first time as the Doctor was with this family as this four and this is our time — a Goonies moment, it’s our time! I felt very much like a kid in a well. I was so sad."
Yeesh, she’s getting me preemptively teary.
Image: Doctor Who/BBC
As for what the episode entails, Whittaker isn’t saying anything about that, either. Obviously Daleks are involved. “It’s the end of certain things but it also feels like a beginning as well,” she said.
Image: Doctor Who/BBC
And beyond that, what happens? The thirteenth season of Doctor Who is filming right now, with a reduced order of 10 episodes (thanks, COVID). Might Whittaker follow Cole and Walsh off the show eventually? “As far as I’m concerned, right now, I’m the Doctor and that’s taking up everything of me, as an actor,” Whittaker said. “And to think something beyond that, I can’t put my head there, and I don’t want to.”
Image: Doctor Who/BBC
Maybe we should take things one at a time. “We’ve got lots of new characters, new monsters, some old ones coming back,” showrunner Chris Chibnall said of the upcoming thirteenth season. “We’re only a few weeks in. We’re obviously having to work in a very different way, under COVID protocols. So, it’s not without its challenges but every series of Doctor Who has had its challenges. At the moment, everybody’s smiling and what we’ve got so far is really thrilling.”
As for when we might be able to see these new episodes, that’s up in the air. “Yeah, I’ve got an idea,” Chibnall laugh. “But Charlotte Moore (the BBC’s chief content officer) would send ‘the boys’ round if I told you any hints. As soon as finish it, I promise we’ll put it on telly straight away.”
Until then, we can enjoy “Revolution of the Daleks” in just a few days!
Next. The time real police officers were called on Daleks from Doctor Who. dark
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h/t Superhero Hype