APPOINTMENT WITH THE DOCTOR

JODIE WHITTAKER IS IN THE TARDIS – AND SHE’S READY FOR ACTION…

We’ll always remember where we were on that historic day: 16 July 2017, watching the Wimbledon men’s singles final in the comfort of our living room, when the reveal came that the 13th version of the Doctor would be played by Jodie Whittaker – the first woman to play the role in 55 years.

In the year-and-a-bit since then, there’s been all sorts of speculation about what the first female incarnation of the role would be like, but this weekend we’ll finally get some answers as the Doctor crash lands in Sheffield, of all places, and is of course thrust straight into the middle of an extra-terrestrial threat. So, how has Jodie been coping with the pressure since the news first came out?

“On the first day of shooting when you complete your first take, that’s when you go, ‘Okay, this is it and I can do it’,” reveals Jodie, speaking at the premiere of the first episode at Sheffield’s Light Cinema. “Watching it on a big screen, with Chris [Chibnall, showrunner] and everyone, it’s really emotional. You’ve got to embrace the celebration of all this hard work going into it. There’s no getting away from it – we are the next season of Doctor Who!”

The opening episode picks up not long after the Doctor’s regeneration, where she’s still recovering and getting used to her new body – not to mention still wearing her predecessor’s tattered old outfit.

“The thing that was really helpful about episode one is being in Peter [Capaldi]’s costume for 95 per cent of it,” shares Jodie. “I was literally in someone else’s shoes, so I felt as if I was continually trying to discover things and, I suppose, settle in. I really love the euphoria of the scene where the Doctor finds what she wants to wear – from that moment onwards, I personally felt like I could get into my own skin.”

We’ve been sworn to secrecy about a lot of the plot, but we can reveal that Jodie quickly establishes herself as an action hero – she even does her own stunts.

“In episode one, that’s all me – I’m really proud of that!” she grins. “There are a couple of moments in the series where it was not deemed appropriate that I chucked myself out of somewhere. This needed someone who was daft enough, and

I absolutely bricked it!

“I was trying to be really cool in front of the crew,” recalls Jodie. “But actually it was amazing – the wonderful thing about the Doctor is that it’s all about self-belief. It was nerve-wracking, and it’s not something you do every day – but I love the pride in watching it knowing that

I did do it all!”

I LOVE THE PRIDE IN WATCHING IT KNOWING THAT I DID DO IT ALL!”