Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, the actress behind the Thirteenth Doctor and the first woman to play the Last of the Time Lords, is turning 38 today.
The story of the Lonely God with a sonic screwdriver and a blue box that travels in time and space has always been about inclusivity above all else. After twelve incarnations (thirteen, if you count the War Doctor), Chris Chibnall introduced us to the first female Doctor. Of course, credit where credit is due, as if it weren’t for Steven Moffat advocating for Time Ladies throughout his tenure as showrunner, Doctor Who wouldn’t be here today. This was obviously a big transition period for the sci-fi series, but over the last two years that Whittaker and her companions have graced our screens, we’ve seen nothing but brilliance and esteem.
That’s high praise when you consider the acting chops of those who preceded the Thirteenth Doctor. Both David Tennant’s Tenth and Matt Smith’s Eleventh owned the role through their time as an ambassador for the show, and we don’t need to say anything about Peter Capaldi’s otherwordly performance as the grumpy Twelfth, aka the Magician. Yet somehow, Whittaker not only brought a sense of energetic presence back to the show, but she also paid homage to all the Doctors that came before her by blending in several of the character’s trademark traits.
Even in terms of an arc, Thirteen has recently just learned that she is, in fact, the Timeless Child and not a native of the planet Gallifrey. This pretty much undermines the character of the Doctor as we know her, so it’ll be interesting to see where she’ll go from here in future seasons of Doctor Who, and we can’t wait for Whittaker to reprise her role as the quirky Thirteenth.
