Jodie Whittaker: I was 'representing women' as the first female Doctor Who - it had political meaning for me
The pressure and pride of being the first female Doctor
When Billie Piper was recently revealed as the new Doctor Who, she became only the second woman in the show’s 60-year history to take on the iconic lead role. But back in 2017, when Jodie Whittaker first stepped into the TARDIS, she wasn’t just making television history, she was breaking a cultural barrier.
“Being cast as the first female Doctor Who… is my pinnacle,” Whittaker reflected in her exclusive 2021 interview for The Female Lead (Vol II): We Rise By Lifting Others book.
“It’s an absolute pleasure because of what it means emotionally to me and what it meant politically to me.”
Celebrating how quickly the idea of a woman taking on the part had become normalised, she said: “It’s already old news and that’s why it’s brilliant.”
During her tenure, Jo Martin also made a landmark appearance as the Fugitive Doctor - a previously unknown incarnation - marking the first time a Black woman played the role.
“I’m already one of two now,” she noted, referencing Martin’s 2020 appearance.
Whittaker’s casting also carried enormous symbolic weight. “I wasn’t just Jodie Whittaker playing the part, I was representing actresses and women,” she explained. “If I was annihilated for my interpretation of the role, I could have a really detrimental effect on us in the future. And that was a massive amount of pressure.”
Still, it was worth it for the ripple effect. “Girls thought they would only get to be in the TARDIS with The Doctor, and now we realise we don’t have to think like that,” she said. “The Doctor still remained a hero to all, but what’s brilliant for the girls is that they suddenly had an active role in their role‑play of being that character.”
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In May, Doctor Who shocked audiences when Ncuti Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper, who had previously played The Doctor’s sidekick, Rose Tyler.
Piper, credited mysteriously only as “introducing Billie Piper”, told the BBC: “To be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse, but who, how, why and when - you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Whittaker reflected on some advice that helped shape her journey: “There were a couple of suggestions from other people that maybe wanting to be an actor wasn’t a sensible thing to do… I didn’t listen to that... I had parents who said, 'do it' and don’t worry about a backup plan until your first plan doesn’t work out.” Thankfully, she stuck to that mindset. As the baton passes once again, her impact remains part of the journey.
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