Jodie Whittaker broke down as she filmed final Doctor Who scenes

‘I cried my eyes out’: Jodie Whittaker reveals she ‘lost it’ filming her final Doctor Who scene and worries she’ll be ‘filled with grief’ when the show airs

By Owen Tonks For Mailonline

Published: 09:43 BST, 20 October 2021 | Updated: 10:24 BST, 20 October 2021

Jodie Whittaker has revealed she broke down filming her final scenes as Doctor Who. 

The actress, 39, returns to BBC One for her final outing as the Thirteenth Doctor on Halloween for a six-part series followed by three specials which are set to air in 2022. 

And Jodie admitted she struggled during her last moments on set, saying she burst into tears and is sure she’ll ‘be filled with a lot of grief’ once the final scenes play out.

Emotional wreck: Jodie Whittaker, 39, broke down as she filmed her final scenes Doctor Who ahead of the new series of the show, with the star admitting she will grieve the role

She said during an online Q&A: ‘I lost it, I was absolutely gone, crying my eyes out. I know that this is the best time I will ever have on a job. I’ve felt like that from the start.’

She continued: ‘Letting go of it, I feel I’ll be filled with a lot of grief because even thinking about it makes me upset. But this show needs new energy. The joy of this part is that you hand on your boots. I don’t know who to, but whoever it is, what a thing to be able to go – “you’re going to have a right time”.

‘If everyone comes up to you forever going “I’m a Doctor Who fan” then that’s an absolute joy. Of all the things you’re always going to be associated with, thank God it’s the thing I’ve loved so much.’ 

Final outing: The actress returns to BBC One for her final outing as the Thirteenth Doctor on Halloween for a six-part series followed by three specials which are set to air in 2022

Jodie confirmed in July that she was leaving the sci-fi programme after four years.    

The West Yorkshire native described her four-year stint manning the T.A.R.D.I.S as being ‘the best job I ever had.’

Jodie was first said to have made the decision to leave in January, with reports at the time discussing a fall in viewership, which has been declining for five years. 

Next Doctor: Doctor Who’s first openly gay companion Pearl Mackie (pictured with Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas) has revealed she wants Jodie Whittaker’s replacement to be  non-binary 

It was reported that Jodie and showrunner Chris Chibnall, who is also walking away from the show, had attracted just half the audience during their paring compared to what the Russell T Davies-led, David Tennant-fronted version of the show did. 

The Telegraph reported at the beginning of the year that episodes were drawing in fewer than 5million viewers.  The paper added that such numbers are ‘not dissimilar to when the show was axed in 1989’.   

The season finale of series 12 had a total TV audience of 4.6million, making it the lowest Doctor Who has ever had. The previous all-time low was 4.7million in 2017.

Series 12 saw an average viewership of 5.4million.  

Breaking boundaries: Jo Martin recently became the first Black actor to play the Doctor, but only in two episodes

Meanwhile, Pearl Mackie revealed this week that now the sci-fi show has had its first female Doctor with Jodie Whittaker, it is time for the time traveller to be a non-binary actor. 

The actor, 34, said there is ‘so much room for change’ as the Doctor’s regenerations ‘allow the show to move with the times’. 

Pearl – who came out as bisexual last year – added she would also like to see ‘both a female and non-white’ actor playing the Doctor. 

Jo Martin recently became the first Black actor to play the Doctor, but only in two episodes.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, she said: ‘I think it would be great to have someone non-binary playing the part.

‘The Doctor doesn’t really identify with human constraints at all. So I feel that could be a logical next step, wouldn’t it?’

Pearl is proud to that her alter ego Bill was able to help viewers embrace their own sexuality and give them the courage to come out.

She said: ‘That’s not something you ever imagine when you decide to be an actor: that you are going to help shape someone’s life, or their journey, particularly something as complicated as nuanced as coming out.’  

Next chapter: Pearl said there is ‘so much room for change’ as the Doctor’s regenerations ‘allow the show to move with the times

Doctor Who? All the actors who have played the Time Lord

The BBC’s hit Sci-fi show Doctor Who was first launched by the BBC in 1963. It chronicles the journey of a Time Lord called ‘The Doctor’.

He is first introduced after fleeing his home planet, Gallifrey.

The Doctor travels through time and space in his spaceship, called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which resembles a police box.

During his travels, The Doctor meets people and invites them to voyage with him. They are known as his companions. 

He also encounters several evil beings, such as Daleks and Cyberman, and is forced to defeat them sing minimal resources, such as his Sonic Screwdriver, as they try to destroy or take over other planets, including Earth.

As a Time Lord, The Doctor has the capacity to regenerate when he is wounded or dying. After regenerating, he takes on a new appearance and personality.

The concept of regenerating was added into the series after the First Doctor, William Hartnell, became ill and stepped down from his role. 

The first run of Doctor Who ended in 1989 before being revived in 2005 with Christopher Ecclestone as the Ninth Doctor. 

Below is the full list of the actors who have been cast as the Doctor from 1963 to 2017 – when Jodie Whittaker took over the coveted role.

Starting the legacy: The First Doctor William Hartnell (1963-1966)

Second and Third: Patrick Troughton (1966–1969) and Jon Pertwee (1970–1974)

Fourth and Fifth: Tom Baker (1974–1981) and Peter Davison (1981–1984)

Sixth and Seventh: Colin Baker (1984–1986) and Sylvester McCoy (1987–1989, 1996)

Eighth and Ninth: Paul McGann (1996) and Christopher Eccleston (2005)

Tenth and Eleventh: David Tennant (2005-2010) and Matt Smith (2010-2013)

Twelfth: Peter Capaldi (2013 – 2017)

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