Listen to the RadioTimes.com Doctor Who podcast: 4 years since the big reveal
Where were you when Jodie Whittaker was announced as the first female Doctor?
Happy birthday, Jodie Whittaker’s black hoodie!
Yes, it’s been four years (and a few days) since the world met the first female Doctor, and Jodie Whittaker was revealed as the future of Doctor Who – and, as rumours persist that she’s soon to step down from the series, it seemed like the perfect time to look back at how we first heard about her casting.
Because of course, this was no ordinary announcement. Hyped for days and scheduled right in the middle of the summer’s biggest sporting event, Jodie Whittaker’s reveal trailer was watched by millions and talked about around the globe – and not just by those people wondering if David Tennant’s presence in the Wimbledon crowd was actually a secret message.
In this week’s RadioTimes.com Doctor Who podcast, we travel back to 2017 to revisit how the casting news was revealed, dissect the original trailer and the impact Whittaker had as the first female Doctor.
"It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you're told you can and can't be," Whittaker said at the time.
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She also reassured fans to "not be scared by my gender".
"Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change," she said, adding: "The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one."
We also look at whether Whittaker has lived up to the heights of her unveiling, and what her groundbreaking casting could mean for any future Doctors waiting in the wings.
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Want more? Check out last week’s podcast about Doctor Who series 13’s special surprise guest, or the latest news from Big Finish (spoiler – it’s about Freema Agyeman’s Martha Jones).
Doctor Who returns to BBC One later this year. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
