13 of Jodie Whittaker's best Doctor Who moments – from regeneration to return

Whittaker has been open about how much her time as the Doctor meant to her, and fans were thrilled to see her return to the TARDIS in Ncuti Gatwa's final episode, The Reality War.

So now, as she celebrates her birthday, what better time to look back on 13 of Whittaker's best - or, as Thirteen would say, most brilliant - moments?

13th Doctor reveal

Whittaker's best Doctor Who moments began even before her first episode. After huge speculation about who could play the Thirteenth Doctor following Peter Capaldi's departure, her casting was confirmed in a thrilling announcement video.

Before the unveiling, we saw a figure walking in a woodland, with a TARDIS key materialising in their hand.

With the simple acts of Whittaker pulling down her hood, giving a smile and walking into the TARDIS, it was made clear that Doctor Who was about to change forever.

Arriving in style

Just dropping in! The Thirteenth Doctor quite literally arrived with a bang in The Woman Who Fell to Earth, with Whittaker immediately springing into action to help out Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Grace (Sharon D Clarke).

Not only did the Doctor immediately crack on with the mission at hand, in the same episode she managed to craft her own sonic screwdriver, immediately giving Whittaker's Doctor a sense of her own identity. No nonsense!

Reuniting with the TARDIS

What's the Doctor without her TARDIS? The Ghost Monument saw the Doctor reunite with her beloved ship, giving us a TARDIS interior reveal for the ages.

It's not hard to imagine that the Doctor's awe in that moment matched Whittaker's own, as she and fans saw the epic new interior.

The Master reveal

While Sacha Dhawan might have stolen the show during Spyfall, with his epic reveal as the Master, there should be no forgetting Whittaker's impressive performance either.

As the Doctor slowly realises exactly what's happening, she displays the absolute horror that can only come with facing her age-old enemy once again.

It's a beautiful performance from both Dhawan and Whittaker - and a standout from the Thirteenth Doctor's era.

Demons of the Punjab speech

While Whittaker gave plenty of angry speeches as the Doctor, her speech about love in Demons of the Punjab is perhaps even more memorable.

"Love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have," she says - and what's more Doctor Who than that?

The Thirteenth Doctor might have been a little awkward, and struggled to express her true feelings at times, but that made moments like this all the more special.

The Timeless Child reveal

Hear us out! Yes, this was a controversial bit of writing - although not so much for returning showrunner Russell T Davies, who ensured he continued the Timeless Child arc from Chris Chibnall's era of the show.

But when that reveal happens in season 12, the best part about it is the sense of confusion, betrayal, and devastation beautifully portrayed within Whittaker's performance. Everything the Doctor thought she knew is a lie - and where does she go from here?

Meeting the Daleks

It might have been a controversial decision to ditch the Christmas special and bring us three New Year's specials - but they did have something special in their own right.

As for Whittaker's best performance in those specials? That came in Eve of the Daleks, which saw the Doctor and her companions trapped in an ever condensing time loop, with the Doctor frantically trying to avoid extermination.

Turning into a Weeping Angel

In one of the biggest twists of the Thirteenth Doctor's era, the Doctor actually transformed into one of the show's most terrifying monsters - the Weeping Angels - as she's recalled to Division.

Doctor Who: Flux may have divided fans, but seeing the Doctor shaking as she rapidly turns to stone and sprouts wings is a visual we've not forgotten in a hurry.

Meeting the Fugitive Doctor

Speaking of plot twists, what could be better than the introduction of the Fugitive Doctor, played by Jo Martin, in Fugitive of the Judoon?

Martin immediately had us on board as she stepped into the role of the Doctor with ease - and Whittaker's expressions in that moment are absolutely priceless as Thirteen is forced to listen to someone else giving her the full Doctor spiel.

Admitting her feelings for Yaz

It wasn't just another groundbreaking moment for the show - the Doctor admitting her feelings to companion Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) was just a beautiful scene as a whole, and a big moment for LGBTQ+ representation on the show.

The Doctor's vulnerability in this moment in The Legend of the Sea Devils is utterly heartbreaking as she explains why she can't ever fully commit to a relationship with a human - and it makes their farewell even more devastating.

Message during Covid

What many consider to be Whittaker's number one best Doctor Who moment didn't actually make it to the show.

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, showrunner Chris Chibnall put a short script together, with Whittaker popping her iconic costume on for a good cause - to give some younger fans a spot of advice if they might be worried.

With that small act, Whittaker showed what it meant to be the Doctor and the face of the show, and it meant so much to fans around the world.

Regeneration

The Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration understandably made headlines around the world, as it marked David Tennant's return as the Fourteenth Doctor.

But Whittaker's performance certainly shouldn't be overlooked. In a few lines, she embodies everything she needs to about the Thirteenth Doctor, giving us a truly emotional moment before the regeneration hits - and prompting fans to wonder at the time if she might ever return...

Return for The Reality War

But return she did. As if Ncuti Gatwa's final Doctor Who episode wasn't emotional enough, fans were surprised to see the return of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor to help him through his regeneration.

Whittaker seamlessly dropped right back into the role as if she'd never been gone - and Gatwa's regeneration was all the better for it.

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