Jodie Whittaker was up against other actresses to play the first female Doctor
Showrunner Chris Chibnall was very much looking for a woman to play the 13th Time Lord, Whittaker reveals
Jodie Whittaker has revealed that she was “up against other actresses” when auditioning for the role of Doctor Who.
Whittaker will be the first ever woman to take on the iconic role since the show’s 1963 debut, but she says that showrunner Chris Chibnall was consciously looking for a female Time Lord.
"I have no idea who, but I know I was up against other actresses," she told Rolling Stone. "It was very much that [Chibnall] was auditioning people for the first female Doctor."
Others rumoured to be filling the role were Tilda Swinton, Kris Marshall and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
On the morning of the big reveal, Whittaker said it was strange to savour her last moments of relative anonymity. "I was just walking about my street, thinking, 'Oh, this is so weird. Right now, I’m completely anonymous. I’ve got four hours’ time.'"
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Since Whittaker was announced as the 13th Doctor, some have hailed her as a feminist icon, while other Who fans call the casting a form of sacrilege.
For now, it remains to be seen who her companion will be… although there is heavy speculation that it might be The Chase presenter, Bradley Walsh.
The next series of Doctor Who is expected in 2018.
