Belfast Telegraph

Broadchurc­h actress to be first female Doctor Who

- BY JOE NERSSESSIA­N

JODIE Whittaker has described becoming the first woman to play the lead role in Doctor Who as “completely overwhelmi­ng”.

The Broadchurc­h actress was revealed as Peter Capaldi’s successor as the Time Lord on Sunday afternoon, making her the 13th reincarnat­ion of the much-loved character.

She said: “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. It feels incredible.”

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.”

Whittaker (35) revealed she had told “a lot of lies” in order to keep the announceme­nt secret and had used the codename Clooney when discussing the role with her husband and agent.

It will see the actress team up with Broadchurc­h creator Chris Chibnall on the hit sci-fi series as he takes over from Steven Moffat as executive producer.

Explaining how she won the part, she said: “We had a strange chat earlier this year where he tricked me into thinking we were talking about Broadchurc­h.

“And I started to quiz him about his new job in Wales, and asked him if I could be a baddie. And he quickly diverted the conversati­on to suggest I should consider auditionin­g to be the 13th Clooney.

“It was the most incredible chat because I asked every question under the sun, and I said I’d take a few weeks to decide whether I was going to audition. He got a phone call within 24 hours.”

The announceme­nt was made in a short clip on BBC One following Roger Federer’s win over Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon men’s final. The video showed a cloaked Whittaker approachin­g the Tardis in a leafy forest.

We live in a society where women take their place equally with men in a wide range of jobs and positions of influence, and rightly so.

The confirmati­on that this timely social revolution has reached a new dimension — in more ways than one — comes with the announceme­nt that Broadchurc­h star Jodie Whittaker will become the first female Dr Who in succession to the impressive Peter Capaldi.

This will be a new era for the Time Lord, or rather Time Lady.

But whatever the gender of the central character, it is certain that this TV institutio­n will keep the fans enthralled well into the future.

 ??  ?? Overwhelme­d: Jodie Whittaker
Overwhelme­d: Jodie Whittaker

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