Jodie Whittaker officially kicks off her first season of Doctor Who in the fall, and so far, former Who cast members have had nothing but positive things to say about her stepping into the role. David Tennant became the latest to shower the actress with praise, telling New Orleans' Wizard World Comic Con attendees that he believes she'll bring to Doctor Who Season 11 the same emotion she's shown in other roles, as well as some of her more personal charms.
I think she'll bring herself. I don't mean that to sound as flippant as it did. What Jodie has sort of become known for as an actress, she's so brilliantly and heartstoppingly emotional, in something like Broadchurch, where she just broke a nation's heart with this wonderful portrait of this mother and these awful desperate straits. And I think people have often gone to Jodie to break our hearts, because she does it so wonderfully. But if you know Jodie, she's so funny and rude and she's got this broad accent, and she's just sort of fizzes with energy and madness. She's quite unpredictable and glorious and funny. And I imagine -- I don't know -- but I imagine she'll bring a bit of that, too, and her natural anarchy will be something that the Doctor will enjoy.
David Tennant specifically mentioned Jodie Whittaker's performance as Beth Latimer in Broadchurch, which earned her several award nominations during the dark drama's run. Tennant would especially know how powerful her performance was, since he got to experience them first-hand, serving as Whittaker's co-star in the series, which was helmed by new Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall. And by then mentioning her more energetic and manic side, Tennant made it sound as though Whittaker is more than capable of taking the Doctor (and the audience) through a wide range of emotions, which is a good thing, considering the mood seems to constantly shift on Doctor Who from episode to episode.
David Tennant gave Jodie Whittaker his vote of confidence that she'll succeed in the role, which really means something, since the actor is frequently considered the best Doctor of all time by fans. For that reason, it's understandable that Whittaker might want to poke his brain a bit to get his thoughts on the role, along with some of the baggage that comes with playing the Doctor. Tennant shared that the actress did indeed reach out to him to talk about her upcoming residency:
We had a wee chat, yes. It is quite a unique job, because it's a show that has so much history to it. And it has a reach that's quite unlike other things. It's a bit of a kind of cultural thing -- Who's going to be the Doctor? -- it's a news story, really. So to find yourself in the middle of that is a bit overwhelming. I think inevitably, you sort of look to people who'd been there before to go, 'What is this like? What is this madness I entered into?' And that's certainly been the case with Matt and Peter, and now with Jodie. I know that Jodie's talked to Peter, and she's talked to Matt. You just for a little support group. You go, 'What is this madness? Tell me about it.' And of course, you know, she 's a little trepidatious, but she's basically really excited. She's such a fantastic choice for it. You see it in just those 30 seconds that she did at the end of the last episode. You just go, 'Oh my god, she's all over it. Brilliant. It's great.'
With Jodie Whittaker hopefully as comfortable as can be in her new role, Doctor Who is set to return to the BBC with Season 11 this fall. In the meantime, there are plenty of new and returning shows popping up on television each and every day. Those wishing to stay in the loop and not miss a minute of good television would do well to visit our midseason premiere guide. For more on what David Tennant will be up to in 2018, check out this first look at Kilgrave in Season 2 of Jessica Jones.
