Well, it’s official! Doctor Who is moving ahead with a female Doctor, and none other than 35-year-old Huddersfield actress Jodie Whittaker is the woman who’ll be taking over the role from Peter Capaldi. With her comes new showrunner Chris Chibnall, who’ll be replacing Steven Moffat, in a move that’s wildly being celebrated for allowing a woman to shine in a role that’s only ever been taken up by a white male.
Jodie Whittaker is the 13th Doctor
But where might you have seen Whittaker before? Here are five of her most prominent roles of the past…
5. Marchlands
This spooky mini-series took place in three time periods; 1968, 1987 and the present day. Following three different families that each lived in the same house within their respective timeframe, the spirit of the 1960s family’s young daughter would visit and keep a hold over the house, following her mysterious drowning in the 60s. Whittaker played Ruth Bowen in Marchlands, and showed that she was able to sink her teeth into any role, no matter the content. Something we know she’ll excel at as The Doctor.
4. Black Mirror
Before Black Mirror was the huge entity that it is today and during its very first season, Whittaker took a leading role in the episode titled The Entire History of You. For those who need a refresher, it’s the episode that takes place in the near future, where civilians have access to memory implants that records their every move. If you ever needed evidence of something, it was there waiting for you, so long as you had agreed to have the implant. It sounds fantastic, but it’s something that quickly ruined the life of Whittaker’s character, Ffion. Here she was poised, relatable and brilliant for the role. A real chance for her to shine, and she did so effortlessly. Check it out if you haven’t seen it before; it’s available on Netflix!
3. The Smoke
Though it only lasted for a single season, The Smoke was a high-stakes and tense show that followed a group of London firefighters. While Whittaker didn’t get the chance to don the firefighter gear in the show, she did do well in the role of lead character Kev’s supportive girlfriend, Trish.
2. The Assets
Here, Whittaker played agent Sandy Grimes in a series set in the mid 1980s. Packed full of drama and suspense, the show brought in a few million viewers when it debuted in the US, but didn’t do quite well enough to warrant being picked up for a second season. A shame, as Whittaker really got the chance to show off her acting chops in the role.
1. Broadchurch
Finally, the one that most people will remember Whittaker from is her take on Beth Latimer through three highly emotional seasons of Broadchurch. Finding her son Danny dead in the first season, before discovering that he had been groomed and killed by a close family friend, she gave the performance of a lifetime as a woman who faced one of the worst horrors possible, before turning her life around and going on to help others. In the role, Whittaker obviously worked with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, who’ll now be going on to serve as Doctor Who showrunner! We can’t wait to see how their fabulous working together translates when she makes her debut in the sci-fi series this Christmas…
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