Catherine Tate played one of the most popular Doctor Who companions of all time during the David Tennant era, though she’s also notorious with fans for her lack of knowledge on the franchise, having never properly watched the revived show before she was cast.
Still, that didn’t seem to have much impact on her performance, as like we just said, she was very well received by viewers and to this day is still remembered fondly as one of the best parts of the modern series. However, her lack of Who knowledge does mean that she isn’t too keen on tuning into the show these days.
When asked in a recent interview if she’s seen any of Jodie Whittaker’s episodes yet, the actress revealed that she hasn’t, and here’s why:
“I haven’t [seen them] yet – only because I won’t understand them and it makes me feel inferior,” Tate quipped. “But I know she’s brilliant because she’s fantastic.”
She then explained that she first took the role all those years ago because she thought it would be a fun adventure, but that doesn’t mean she actually understood what was happening in a lot of the episodes.
“I kind of just jumped into Doctor Who saying, ‘Oh, this will be an adventure.’ It was a real game-changer actually in my life, Doctor Who. I absolutely loved it. But it doesn’t make me a sci-fi aficionado! I still don’t know what goes on, and I wasn’t quite aware what was going on to me.”
That’s fair enough, though it’s a shame that Tate didn’t bother to tune in for the most recent season as it was actually quite accessible to both longtime fans and newcomers alike. Not only that, but it also posted pretty strong viewing numbers, too, showing that a lot of people were able to follow along without issue.
In any case, at least there’s still time for Tate to catch up, as Doctor Who won’t be back on our screens until 2020, meaning she’s got a whole year to get acquainted with the newest version of the Time Lord.
