Jodie Whittaker isn't ready to let go of Doctor Who quite yet

Jodie Whittaker has said she's pleased she doesn't "have to let go" of Doctor Who just yet thanks to there being scenes from the upcoming series still yet to be filmed.

The outgoing Doctor Who star, who has played the Thirteenth Doctor since 2018, announced earlier this year that she would be leaving the show alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall.

Speaking to Shaun Keaveny for The Line-Up podcast, Whittaker said she hadn't had time to process leaving Doctor Who yet since filming was still underway.

"Well, it's strange because, like, announcing you're the Doctor, it always happens at a very strange time. So you announce that you're going to play the Doctor and it happens before, essentially, you've stepped foot on set.

"So that’s one big announcement and the very emotionally, kind of contradicting thing is you announce you’re leaving, but you haven’t left.

"So I am still knee deep in shooting. So to me this hasn’t finished," she added. "You're just in it, but I can be in it. So the good thing now is being announced that these are my last episodes that I'm shooting doesn't mean I have to let go yet."

While we don't yet know who the new Doctor will be, the BBC announced last week that Russell T Davies would be returning as Doctor Who showrunner for the sci-fi series' 60th anniversary, having previously said that he would reinvent Doctor Who if he had the chance.

"There should be a Doctor Who channel now. You look at those Disney announcements, of all those new Star Wars and Marvel shows, you think, we should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble, and you should have the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors together in a 10-part series. Genuinely."

Doctor Who returns to BBC One this autumn. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.