Jodie Whittaker Considered Staying on Doctor Who Longer

Doctor Who returned for season 13 on October 31, and it's set to be the last season that Jodie Whittaker will be appearing in as the 13th Doctor. But the actress says she almost had a change of heart about that.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about her final season, Whittaker revealed that she and showrunner Chris Chibnall had made a pact to get in and out in three seasons. But somewhere along the way, something began to change:

"There was a point where I was definitely like, 'Uhh, I don’t know.' We started this [season] and I was like, 'I don’t know if I’m going to be able to commit to this decision.' Wonderfully, going into it, it didn’t feel like either of us were being held to our own conversation. It was still very much, between me and him, a very active conversation."

But at some point, Whittaker did decide that it was “the right time” for her to be moving on.

So far, no other Doctor in the revival era has stayed on past three seasons. While Christopher Eccleston had the shortest run with just one season, all other Doctors have been on for three seasons exactly, and time flies during those years. Perhaps, early on, Whittaker underestimated just how fast it would go.

Doctor Who: Flux is “scarier” and “more ambitious”

In another interview, with Empire magazine, Whittaker said that the episodes in season 13—titled Doctor Who: Flux—will give fans something they haven’t seen before:

"There have always been arcs across the series in Doctor Who, particularly where the Doctor is concerned. But this time it’s bigger, more ambitious. It’s a massive arc, and what has been interesting is realizing that at the end of part three, you’re only halfway there. So it’s about having that kind of stamina, and not playing all your narrative cards at once."

There will be lots of villains old and new appearing in this season. And considering that the first episode premiered on Halloween, we doubt Whittaker’s threat about this season being scarier is an idle one.