Doctor Who boss reveals Jodie Whittaker's reaction to being invited back for Ncuti Gatwa scene

There, she had a brief interaction with Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, which acknowledged a noticeable change in demeanour between their two incarnations of the Time Lord.

Gatwa's take has been considered warmer and more emotional than Whittaker's Thirteenth and those that preceded her, which have at times been overly direct, aloof or even awkward.

Speaking in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, showrunner Russell T Davies said: "It was a major delight to work with the great and mighty Jodie.

"Because her Doctor regenerated into David Tennant's Fourteenth, I always felt Jodie and Neuti were owed a moment together – which is a strange thing to think, because had one regenerated into the other, they'd still never have met!"

He continued: "But you know what I mean. There was a missing link between them, which this episode forged together."

Whittaker has had nothing but good things to say about her time playing the Doctor, indicating in the past that she would jump at the chance to do so again.

Davies assured readers of Doctor Who Magazine that those statements certainly weren't "just politeness", but that arranging her brief return was, in fact, quick and easy.

He added: "She meant it with all of her heart. So I wrote the scene, we sent it off... and got the fastest reply we've ever had, I think it broke the sound barrier!"

Fans of Whittaker's era were moved by one particular interaction between Thirteen and Fifteen, which comes after the former is taken aback when the latter says that he loves her.

"I should say that to Yaz," Thirteen realised in that moment.

"You never do," Fifteen replied. "But she knows."

It's a nice added detail in the story of the former Doctor and her beloved companion, played by Mandip Gill, with Whittaker previously telling RadioTimes.com that she feels "protective" over how their story ended.

Last summer, she said of their final moments together: "It was a really beautiful thing, particularly the scenes in the TARDIS – they were really wonderful to shoot, because that was our last day."

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