Not Even Doctor Who Star Jodie Whittaker Knows Who The Next Doctor Is
Fans are preparing to say goodbye to Jodie Whittaker, the Thirteenth Doctor, as her run as a Time Lord comes to an end. Whittaker confirmed with the BBC earlier this week that she, as well as Mandip Gill who plays the Doctor's companion Yaz, had wrapped filming on "Doctor Who." More than likely, this final wrapping is in reference to the upcoming season of "Doctor Who: Flux," as well as the series of specials set to debut in 2022, but Whittaker also noted on an episode of "The Graham Norton Show" that she had also filmed her half of the regeneration. With the specials and her half of the regeneration out of the way, this allows a new showrunner and a new Fourteenth Doctor to appear for "Doctor Who's" 60th Anniversary special.
The Doctor returns for her biggest adventure yet.#DoctorWho: Flux premieres 31st October ✨ pic.twitter.com/iStI1vEmFG
— Doctor Who: Flux (@bbcdoctorwho) October 9, 2021
"They are never going to tell me who it is [that's replacing me]," Whittaker said on "The Graham Norton Show." She continued, "We filmed some scenes [for the regeneration], but the new Doctor wasn't there." Whittaker also noted that, "I wasn't there for Peter [Capaldi], and I only met him months later when I passed him in the street!"
It's pretty typical for Doctors to film their regeneration without knowing their replacement, especially if a new showrunner is taking over after their departure, so at this point, Whittaker's guess for her replacement is as good as ours.
Passing the Torchwood
Whittaker discussed her joining the "Doctor Who" team, explaining that she filmed her side of the regeneration from the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) long after Capaldi had shot his half of the sequence. When Matt Smith took over as the Eleventh Doctor from David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, former showrunner Steven Moffatt brought in an entirely separate team to shoot Smith after Tennant's goodbye. The show shift that occurs during the changing of Doctors isn't limited to the new generation, however. Colin Baker was so upset about having been let go as the Sixth Doctor that he refused to show up to film his regeneration.
The search for the new Doctor is well underway and after Jodie Whittaker's casting as the first woman to play the Doctor, the casting possibilities are as vast as the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, multiverse. Musician and actor Olly Alexander of "It's a Sin" has been rumored for a long while as being the new Doctor, but Alexander's representatives have denied the claims. Other actors who have been floating around the rumor mill include Michaela Coel ("I May Destroy You," "Black Mirror"), Michael Sheen ("Good Omens," "Prodigal Son"), and Richard Ayoade ("The IT Crowd," "The Crystal Maze").
Regardless of who takes over, this is the beginning of the end for Jodie Whittaker and the Thirteenth Doctor. "Doctor Who: Flux" premieres on October 30, 2021 on BBC One and BBC America.