Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker teases “stripped-back” regeneration scene

"I would say it’s perfectly written."

By Shivani Dubey and David Opie

22 Oct 2022

Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker has teased a “stripped-back” regeneration scene as she prepares to bid farewell to her time on the show.

In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, the actor talked about what it was like to shoot the scenes and what she hopes fans take away from it.

“It was amazing, wasn’t it?,” she said of the process of shooting the scene.

BBC

“Because on the day, we shot in story order. We never do that. The last kind of beats of the show happen… We shot them in the right sequence of events. I think that was really helpful because it felt… Well, I certainly didn’t have to play the end before my time,” she said.

“So my 'regen' was literally the last thing that we shot. And I would say: the way it’s written is a beautiful bookend of the Thirteenth Doctor,” she continued.

“It has a very… The energy of it feels as if it celebrates and… I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT WITHOUT GIVING IT AWAY! It has all the elements that I wanted to be able to show about who my Doctor was, but in a very, I think, stripped-back way.

“I would say it’s perfectly written – not under or over,” she added.

BBC

As for what she hopes fans will take away from this journey, she hopes that people see the love behind the show.

“I hope we take away the love that we as people have for this show and for this journey, and also the pure excitement for what comes next,” she said.

“If Doctor Who is nothing else, it’s a celebration of change, and that is so integral to the show. The fact that it’s only my end – that’s it. And yours. But the show is bigger than that, and that is what is really brilliant about it. it takes it, and runs with it,” she added.

Doctor Who's next special premieres in October 2022 on BBC One in the UK. In the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Classic Doctor Who streams exclusively on BritBox in the UK.