Add to that the ever-present threat of the Daleks and the return of fan favourite John Barrowman, who reprises his role as Captain Jack, and Chris Noth returning as dodgy businessman Jack Robertson and fans, Whittaker says, “are in for a rollercoaster of a festive special”.But this is Doctor Who and that means any details on what actually happens in the special are sparse. Reports out of the UK have hinted that the Daleks have received a bit of a makeover – “I’m not allowed to say anything – I can’t even give you a thumb’s up,” Whittaker laughs.What we do know, though, is that the special marks the last time we’ll see Bradley Walsh’s Graham (also known to Aussie audiences as host of the UK’s The Chase) and Tosin Cole’s Ryan. Whittaker, who started her Whovian tenure alongside both of the actors when she stepped into the role in 2018, says that she still sheds a few tears every time she thinks of shooting Walsh and Cole’s final scenes on the show. “We shot those last scenes and that was it – I just started sobbing. I was rubbish – I’m still rubbish,” she laughs. “We had a group What’s App call the other day and I was crying again.”But Whittaker says being “incredibly sentimental and nostalgic” helped when stepping into the Doctor’s formidable shoes.
“I’m involved in something that’s so rich in history and emotion for so many people and nostalgia and sentiment and relevance in a way that is nothing to do with me,” she says. “But on a completely narcissistic level, this is my time now and, for me, this whole thing has been an absolute pleasure so any kind of changes, I can’t cope with, which makes me rubbish in this job because everything changes all the time.”The 38-year-old Whittaker, who grew up “a movie-obsessed ’80s kid”, is the 13th incarnation of the Doctor and, famously, the first woman to play the role. “It’s such a weird thing to step into because you’re famous before you’ve even said any of the lines because they announce it before you’ve done anything.”She also hit up two former Doctors – and friends – Matt Smith and David Tennant (who starred opposite Whittaker in Broadchurch) for advice. “They just said it’s going to go so quick and it’s such a rollercoaster, just enjoy it, and also, it’s really hard to learn the lines, and it is.”Depressingly, she’s been targeted by Twitter trolls apoplectic that their beloved Doctor is currently a woman.
Whittaker says she can’t take any of the negativity on board. “Playing [Doctor Who] is nothing but positive for me,” she says with a shrug. “I can’t see what the negative is for me. No matter what, I had an opportunity to step into a role that as an individual I could have only dreamt of but, as a woman, it was such a moment for myself and in the casting of this historic role, and so I am dining out on that.”But the show, which films for up to nine months of the year, leaves Whittaker with little room to even contemplate other roles right now. Add to that COVID turning the film and TV industry upside down, and she’s happy to stay safely in the Tardis.“I am so lucky to be working; there are businesses and industries that can’t come back and we can, so we’ve got to treat that as this precious stone that needs protecting because we’re f—ing lucky,” she says. “On [Doctor Who] we all feel that because our industry has definitely had the rug pulled out of it but [this year] has given me a real appreciation that I’m really f—ing lucky to be in my job because I really f—ing like it.”The Yorkshire-born Whittaker, who lives in London with her husband and daughter, says lockdown has given her an unexpected perspective.“As quite an anxious, paranoid, crowd-loving person, certain things were put in perspective for me, like, ‘I like a crowd’,” she laughs. “Also, I do border on ‘worst-case scenario’ in my life, which is why I always read apocalyptic novels,” she laughs. “So when the world has a worst-case scenario, straightaway I’m thinking, this doesn’t end well.“I mean, I’m currently reading The Handmaid’s Tale. I don’t think I can do popcorn right now. I feel like that kind of contradicts with where I’m at.”
Doctor Who, Revolution of the Daleks premieres Saturday from 7am on ABC iview, and will then air later that evening at 7.30pm on ABC TV
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