2018 marks the beginning of a brand new era for Doctor Who, as Jodie Whittaker is now in charge of the TARDIS. We’ve yet to see her make her fully-fledged debut as the Thirteenth Doctor, of course, but it’s interesting to consider just how long the actress will play the role for. Typically, three seasons is the norm for a Doctor’s tenure, but there have been outliers – such as Christopher Eccleston’s solitary season and Tom Baker’s seven years in the role.
In an in-depth interview with The Sunday Times, Whittaker was asked exactly how long she’s under contract for to play the Doctor. The actress wouldn’t budge on the question, though, and revealed that she’s forbidden from talking about it. “I am not allowed to answer that,” was her only reply.
The finer details of Whittaker’s contract have not been released, but we do know that the actress successfully campaigned to get equal pay to her predecessor Peter Capaldi. Reportedly, he earned somewhere between £200,000 to £250,000 per year in the role, so presumably Whittaker’s wages will come close to that.
Obviously, the biggest discussion surrounding Whittaker’s appointment as the Doctor concerns the fact that she’s the first woman to land the coveted part. On that note, the actress made some sensible comments about the fact that her gender really won’t play into her performance. The only important factors are the character and her acting abilities.
“I don’t ever play being a woman, I wouldn’t know how to play being a woman. Just like a man wouldn’t know how to play being a man. It’s me, but I am not bringing gender to my choices. I am bringing character to my choices.”
Also in the same chat, Whittaker revealed her favourite Doctor (apart from herself, of course). She chose her good pal David Tennant, which should make her popular with the Tenth Doctor’s legions of fans. Whether there’s any of Tennant in her portrayal remains to be seen, but we’ll find out soon, as Doctor Who returns to our screens this October.
