Jodie Whittaker's Doctor will be exterminated by Daleks in the 'Doctor Who' New Year's Day special.
Jodie Whittaker is leaving 'Doctor Who' later in 2022
The 39-year-old star was stunned when she read the scripts for 'Eve of the Daleks' - which is set to air on January 1 - and realised the Doctor will be caught in a "time loop" and gets repeatedly killed by the iconic monsters.
She said: "When I read this episode for the first time and in one of the opening moments get exterminated I genuinely thought, 'Somebody has decided to write me out a bit sooner than I thought!' "
Jodie - who is set to leave the role later in the year - admitted she found the episode "brilliant" to film because there was real jeopardy for her character, and the repetition of the "pain" added another layer to her performance as an actor.
She explained: "It’s brilliant to play because the first time, for the Doctor, it’s as if you’re grasping at those seconds and that realisation that it could be your last moment.
"And for you to be killed by a Dalek would be so horrendous!
"But then once you realise you’re in this time loop the anticipation of the pain and the fun that can be had with that... it’s the first time in my career I’ve died so many times in an episode, there’s always a first!"
Meanwhile, showrunner Chris Chibnall - who will leave the BBC series with Jodie after three specials in 2022 - explained why the Daleks in the New Year's Day (01.01.22) episode are a new prospect for both the Doctor and viewers.
He added: "These are execution Daleks they’ve got slightly different weapons and have very much come with a very clear purpose for this.
"They are not trying to destroy the world they are trying to destroy the Doctor in payment for what has been done to the Daleks at the end of the previous series."
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