Dr Who on her time travels to Sunday night
It’s a new slot for trailblazer Jodie
DOCTOR Who will time travel from Saturday to Sunday nights when the new series starts next month.
But actress Jodie Whittaker, the first female Doctor, admits she will be too nervous to watch her debut episode, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, on October 7.
Asked by Marie Claire where she would be when it is screened here, Jodie, 36, said: “Somewhere far away, so I don’t watch it in the same time zone.
“I’ll be turning my phone off and hoping for the best.”
The Mirror predicted in February that the BBC series would have a Sunday-night slot for the first time in its 55 years to avoid having to show it later on Saturdays because of Strictly.
Boss Chris Chibnall confirmed the move. He said: “New Doctor, new home! Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor is about to burst into Sunday nights and make the end of the weekend so much more exciting.
“Settle down with all the family for Sunday night adventures across space and time. (Also, move the sofa away from the wall so parents can hide behind it during the scary bits).”
He promised the new series would be “a blast”.
Doctor Who has struggled in autumn ratings after going out post-8pm, making it too late for the youngest fans to watch.
After Peter Capaldi became the Doctor in 2014, ratings hit 7.3 million, but they fell to 5.5 million for his final series last year.
Bradley Walsh, 58, is to play one of the new Doctor’s companions, but almost turned down the role because Chris Chibnall refused to tell him who would take over as the 13th Time Lord.
He said he only accepted when Chibnall told him: “Trust us, trust us, it will be an unbelievable journey. It’ll be ground breaking.”
Read the full interview with Jodie Whittaker in the October issue of Marie Claire, out today.