After a brief but heartfelt return to Doctor Who in the Season 15 finale, Jodie Whittaker has made it clear she would happily step back into the TARDIS at a moment’s notice.
In a recent profile with The Times U.K., the Broadchurch alum reflected on revisiting the role of the Thirteenth Doctor. Her return coincided with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, the companion to the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, played by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.
“I was just delighted I still fitted in my costume,” Whittaker said, recalling the experience of reprising her iconic role. “The second I got to Cardiff, I felt like I was home. Even though it’s a different studio, a different TARDIS—it’s just my absolute happiness, Doctor Who. If someone said to me in 20 years, ‘I’ve written an episode and the Thirteenth comes back,’ I just wouldn’t hesitate. It’s absolute joy.”
The return comes amid months of speculation over the future of Doctor Who. Concerns have been raised about falling ratings and the possibility of Disney+ stepping back from its co-production agreement with the BBC. However, Kate Phillips, the broadcaster’s new chief content officer, recently reaffirmed that the show remains a priority for the network. Showrunner Russell T Davies has also confirmed that scripts for Season 3 (or Season 16, depending on the counting) are complete, though he admitted earlier this year that “we don’t know what’s happening yet.”
Whittaker, who made history as the first female Doctor in 2018 with Series 11, reflected on the significance of her casting. “There needed to be a first, and I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time,” she said. “I’m not like Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot, thinking, ‘I’m a girl, I’m a girl!’ I just am. But once it was announced—for a lot of people—it felt like a really wonderful moment, despite a few grumpy voices.”
In addition to her on-screen work, Whittaker continues to explore the Doctor’s universe through audio dramas. She currently stars in Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures, alongside Mandip Gill, who voices her companion Yaz. “You don’t ever really leave it,” Whittaker said. “I can be with Mandip all day, every day, and not even learn my lines. I’ve never been happier. I’ll do that forever—I’ll be Doctor 13 into my nineties.”
Her comments underscore a lasting affection for the role, which continues to inspire both Whittaker and the franchise’s dedicated fanbase. Even as the future of the show remains uncertain, her enthusiasm signals that the Thirteenth Doctor could return whenever the right story arises.
For fans, that promise offers reassurance. Whittaker’s joyful reflections, both on set in Cardiff and in the recording studio, show that she sees the Doctor not just as a job but as a lasting creative home. Whether on-screen or in audio adventures, her commitment to the character ensures that the spirit of the Thirteenth Doctor remains alive—and ready for any future regeneration that may come.