The Doctor is not a Yorkshire character, says new Time Lord
GRITTY, WITTY, blunt, resourceful and always there for those in need – the new and first female Doctor Who embodies great Yorkshire qualities and speaks with the accent.
The 13th Time Lord even battles a scary new alien in Sheffield. But the time traveller’s connection with God’s own county ends right there.
Huddersfield’s own star of the show Jodie Whittaker is quick to point out that although she uses her natural voice, the Doctor is ‘not a Yorkshire character’.
The 36-year-old from Skelmanthorpe, who takes over the role from Peter Capaldi, told The Yorkshire Post: “I turned up for the audition and was told it was OK to use my own voice. Throughout the entire process it never felt wrong.
“But it’s certainly not a Yorkshire character. It’s a body with a voice and that voice is mine.
“If I was from London and I had chosen to do a Yorkshire accent it would have a real meaning behind it, in a way that it doesn’t, in this instance, because it’s me.
“I take my hat off to David Tennant who transformed his voice as well as doing a phenomenal Doctor. I was lucky, I could just use what I’ve been given.”
Whittaker was speaking at the world premiere of her first episode – The Woman Who Fell To
Earth – screened at The Light cinema in Sheffield, celebrating the home of the new series, with lots of city landscape glimpses and references, including an iconic landmark finale.
VIPs, fans who successfully applied for tickets and competition winners were sworn to secrecy while media guests had to sign non-disclosure forms to keep the details top secret until it airs on BBC One in a new Sunday slot, the time yet to be revealed, starting Sunday, October 7.
The Doctor’s three new companions also attended – The Chase game show host and Law
And Order UK actor Bradley Walsh, 58, newcomer Tosin Cole, 26, and Leeds girl Mandip Gill, 30. Walsh saw his Doctor Who debut for the first time at the premiere.