The Doctor herself, Jodie Whittaker, celebrated her 37th birthday earlier this week, but it seems the Doctor Who star didn’t get any time off as she had to go to work and save the universe on her special day. At least the actress still marked the occasion in style, though.
Yesterday, her co-star Mandip Gill – who plays Yaz Khan – shared a snap from the Who set on social media, which revealed that Whittaker celebrated her birthday in an adorable way. The photo sees Jodie in a glittery dress adorned with “Birthday girl” buttons and with a candle crown on her head. Hilariously, the rest of the cast – Gill, Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair) and Bradley Walsh (Graham O’Brien) – look unimpressed.
“She came to work like this,” Gill wrote in her caption. “She is 37. SHE is my idol.”
Whittaker and Gill have become close friends since they both signed up to fly through time and space in the TARDIS back in 2017 (when work on season 11 began). In fact, the Doctor and Yaz have become a favorite ship for fans, too, with many praying there might be a romance on the cards at some point. Gill has previously commented on this as well, admitting that it wasn’t something she thought about during production and she thinks fans are maybe just detecting her and Whittaker’s natural chemistry.
After season 11 wrapped up with a special in the New Year, season 12 is now shooting. Production has taken place in Tenerife and South Africa but is currently filming in the UK. As with Whittaker’s debut run on Doctor Who, story details are being kept tightly under wraps, but it’s been announced that returning monsters the Judoon will be back to face the Thirteenth Doctor in at least one episode.