There seems to be some questionable rumo(u)rs floating around from some U.K. tabloids that Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall won’t be sticking around the TARDIS for that long. While Chibnall’s status isn’t set in stone, Whittaker seemed confident enough to tell THR that she is indeed returning for series 12.
As Whittaker tells the trade publication:
“I really can’t wait to step back in and get to work again. It’s such an incredible role. It’s been an extraordinary journey so far and I’m not quite ready to hand it over yet.”
Generally, all of the modern Doctor Who leads have stayed on for three seasons of episodes, the lone exception being Christopher Eccleston being one and done.
We previously reported on the Doctor Who panel at New York Comic-Con where Whittaker, Chibnall, and producer Matt Strevens presented the first episode of series 11. I was generally impressed by what I saw, and what the trio promised for what was to come sounded promising. For the most part, I’m finding series 11 to be a competent-enough season of television, with Whittaker and her co-stars settling into the role, despite some average writing.
The show has certainly kept its promise of being inclusive, with a diverse set of main cast members and guest stars. Some episodes that tried to get deeper into political and social allegories haven’t quite worked for me—”Rosa” seemed like a great opportunity to depict the 1960s United States civil rights movement, but the execution seemed botched and it oversimplified the nuances of the real-life events and people behind them. “Kerblam!” had an interesting premise, taking place on what was basically a space Amazon.com. However, I found the message to be bungled, confusing, and maybe even a little troubling. One episode (“Arachnids in the UK”) even features a really, really, badly conceived Donald Trump-like character.
I’ve been exchanging Slack messages with our EIC Matthew Razak, and I’m sure he’ll have more to say—I think he’s been a little less kind to the show as of late. Series 11 wraps up on Sunday, with a New Year’s Day special (instead of the usual Christmas special) coming after that.
Jodie Whittaker Confirms Return for ‘Doctor Who’ Season 12 [THR]
