Just a couple of weeks ago, Jodie Whittaker took her final bow as the Doctor, handing over the reins to…David Tennant. Yes, that was a total shocker, but one that I happily welcomed.
Interestingly enough, when they added “The Power of the Doctor” script to the BBC Writersroom script library, Whittaker’s final words as the Doctor were different than what we saw onscreen.
In the finale, Jodie’s Doctor regenerated right after saying, “Right then, Doctor-whoever-I’m-about-to-be: tag, you’re it!” However, the original script has her deliver a different final line: “Ah, that’s the only sad thing. I want to know what happens next. I bet it’s going to be brilliant.”
If you’re a hardcore Doctor Who fan, you’ll recognize this was a nod to Whittaker’s first words as the Doctor when she said, “Oh, brilliant!” after being thrown out of the TARDIS during the 2017 Christmas special.
So why the change? And who was responsible for it? More on that below!
Jodie Whittaker’s final words as the Doctor were changed
Back in October, showrunner Chris Chibnall shared why the dialogue was changed while speaking with Morgan Jeffery of RadioTimes. “I’d written that scene before I wrote anything else, I knew what that final scene was.” said Chibnall. “It was originally ‘I wanna know what happens next’ and ‘I bet it’s going to be brilliant’ was going to be the final word. We’d changed them around in the edit.”
All the credit goes to Whittaker and episode editor Becky Trotman, who suggested that she flip the last two lines. Chibnall described the change as “40% writing, 40% performance, 20% editing.”
Before this episode aired, Whittaker spoke to Empire magazine about the final words she would get to say as the Doctor. “I love the dialogue Chris wrote for my regeneration. It captures my Doctor beautifully. It’s simple, epic and beautiful.”
And it sure was! Whittaker did a beautiful job expressing her gratitude and sadness as the Doctor began to regenerate. It’s always a difficult moment for the show, which means it’s tough for the actors themselves. It’s emotional to let go of a character you’ve inhabited for years!
During the filming of the last scene, nearly 200 people were there to witness Jodie Whittaker’s extremely emotional moment. “When I could see the crew was happy with that last shot, that’s when my bottom lip started going,” she said. “I was like, ‘Well, they can’t say they need another take now because I’ve f***ing lost it!’’
We will really miss Whittaker as the Doctor, but as we look ahead to next year’s specials, I can’t help but squeal with excitement. David Tennant is BACK! And while his reign will be short-lived, it is going to be an incredibly exciting moment for Doctor Who fans to see him back in his element.
Unfortunately, we have to wait an entire year before we learn more about the epic regeneration twist; November 2023, to be exact.
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h/t Den of Geek