Part of the reason it’s so great that Jodie Whittaker has been cast as the Thirteenth Doctor, making her Doctor Who‘s first ever female lead, is because the topic of gender disparity in the entertainment business is such a timely one right now. Part of that issue is the huge gap between the average salary earned by big name male actors and their female co-stars.
Whittaker was having none of that, though, and successfully fought to get equal pay to her predecessors in the role. The actress revealed the news to the press backstage at yesterday’s National Television Awards in London, explaining that it was something any woman in her position would have done.
“I don’t imagine you’re going to meet a woman this evening who is unenthusiastic about the prospect of equal pay. It’s an incredibly important time and the notion [of equal pay] should be supported. It’s a bit of a shock that it’s a surprise to everyone that it should be supported!”
Whittaker was then keen to press how there was an issue of low pay for many, regardless of what gender they are. “I know I do not speak just on behalf of the women here, I speak on behalf of the men and the women,” she added.
It’s likely, then, that Whittaker will earn a salary between £200,000 and £249,000. This was revealed to be the mark that Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi fell under when the BBC opened up about how much it pays its key talent last year. Matt Smith is believed to have earned the same amount when he was in charge of the TARDIS, while David Tennant earned four times that back in the day, as the former Tenth Doctor reportedly clocked in £1 million every season.
Turning back to the role itself, Whittaker also touched on how she’s enjoying playing the Time Lord so far, as she’s currently knee-deep in filming.
“Yeah, it’s great. I love it, I absolutely love it, yeah. It’s amazing! I get to see all the best places!”
Doctor Who season 11 is set to hit our screens at some point this Autumn, and when it does, it may be a bit longer than expected.
