Jodie Whittaker’s Happy To Have Missed Out On Role In Matt Smith’s Doctor Who Series

There’s a lesser-known fact about Jodie Whittaker’s Time Lord that few Doctor Who fans are aware of – the actress had previously auditioned for a role opposite Matt Smith’s Doctor back in 2010, only to be rejected. And in Whittaker’s own words, “thank goodness.”

Radio Times caught up with the so-hot-right-now actress earlier this week to discuss Doctor Who season 11 and what lies ahead for her fresh-faced Time Lord. Spoilers: whatever adventures await, they won’t include Daleks. Or Cybermen.

Had things panned out differently, though, Jodie Whittaker would’ve been a part of Matt Smith’s first Doctor Who series eight years ago, though she’s a little relieved that the BBC turned her down, as it may have interfered with her becoming the first female Time Lord by 2018.

Per Radio Times:

I think I just put myself on tape but I didn’t get it. But thank goodness I sent some message-in-a-bottle tape [and] didn’t get it, and then now…because I might have [ruled myself out]!

Overall, though, Jodie Whittaker is incredibly excited – if a little nervous – to launch Doctor Who season 11 next month (more on that later), as she’s been working towards a landmark role like this for years.

In fact, even when the BBC chose her to be Peter Capaldi’s one true successor, Whittaker was still a little apprehensive about the whole ordeal, stating:

There were many moments where there were doubts, like ‘have I shown enough, is there more they need to see?’ But the thing that was the most revealing thing for me during the audition process was that I absolutely love this. I’d never done anything that even touched the sides of being similar to the kind of scenes I was doing in the auditions, or the kind of work that I’ve done in the series. And there’s a nervousness about auditioning, but what I couldn’t believe was when I walked out of the room how much fun it had been. And that made me want it even more.

Let’s get a shift on: the 11th season of Doctor Who will air at precisely 18:45 pm BST on October 7th. Those in North America will be pleased to know that the premiere episode will screen via BBC America simultaneously (1:45 pm ET and PT), before an encore arrives on 8pm ET/PT.