LOOK WHO’S BACK ON TV
AS TELLY moments go, it feels like we’ve been waiting for this one for a very, VERY long time. But tonight, TV history will finally be made when Doctor Who’s lead character is taken over by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the role since it began 55 years ago.
The actress plays the 13th Doctor in the sci-fi series, picking up from where her predecessor Peter Capaldi left off.
Whittaker made a very brief debut as the Doctor in last year’s Christmas special when Capaldi’s version of the beloved character regenerated. But from tonight, the role is all hers.
Her first full episode as the Doctor is aptly titled The Woman Who Fell To Earth.
The Broadchurch star, 36, will be joined by a new crew of companions, played by Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole.
Little has been given away about storylines for the new series, but a recent trailer shows the characters seen running away from explosions, walking through a desert and encountering unknown creatures.
This new era of Doctor Who will also include some changes, other than the obvious, for the Doctor.
Whittaker, whose casting was announced after the Wimbledon men’s final last summer, recently confessed she felt “woefully underqualified” to take on such an important role.
However, she said the programme’s executive producer Chris Chibnall wanted a “new perspective” on the time-travelling alien from the planet of Gallifrey.
She told The Big Issue: “That is the wonderful thing about these huge shoes I am filling.
“No one plays it the same. There is no pressure on me in that sense.”
Ratings for Doctor Who have fallen in recent years and the BBC will be hoping a new Doctor – and a new timeslot – will reverse the trend.
Last year’s series opener had an overnight audience of 4.6 million.
This was almost two million below the 6.4 million who tuned in for Peter Capaldi’s first episode as the Doctor in 2014. Matt Smith’s first episode in 2010 had overnight ratings of 8 million - the same as David Tennant’s debut in 2006. Christopher Eccleston’s first story in 2005 attracted 9.9 million.
Jodie Whittaker’s debut tonight is likely to benefit from extra interest in seeing the first female Doctor.
The BBC’s decision to switch the show from Saturdays to Sundays could also boost audiences, especially as it is being transmitted between two big-hitters: Countryfile and Strictly Come Dancing.
ITV has chosen to schedule the game show 5 Gold Rings against Doctor Who.
More on the new Doctor Seven Days pullout –