The future of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor has been the subject of much speculation, with reports indicating that she’ll be leaving the role after the upcoming thirteenth season, though several more specials may possibly wrap up her arc. The latest suggestion is that the Doctor Who star will shoot her regeneration scene this summer.
Talk about Whittaker’s exit has been growing in 2021, partly due to the next season being her third, bringing her to the point that every Doctor from David Tennant onwards exited the series outside of one-off appearances. Fresh episodes are set to arrive later this year, as well as holiday specials to take the COVID-delayed production into 2022. If this new story is true, then, the switchover to a different Doctor will most likely happen in one of these stand-alone instalments.
At the moment, we don’t have an exact release date for Doctor Who, although August is a good option, followed by a holiday special. For Whittaker’s part, she’s been pretty tightlipped about what’s going to happen with her contract, and recently emphasized that she’s not thinking that far ahead.
It’s arguably to the 39-year-old’s credit that she’s been able to deflect a lot of the criticism that’s come her way from certain sections of the Doctor Who fanbase since becoming the first female Doctor. In past interviews, Whittaker has been upfront about the challenges of the character, and may be ready to take a break from the high demands of leading the franchise.
In terms of a replacement, there’ve been many names thrown around. These include Kris Marshall, a Black Mirror actress (according to some theories), as well as the potential to recast the Time Lord as a person of color. If Whittaker is shooting her regeneration soon, then we’d hope that the show finds a satisfying way to transition out of a difficult but strong era for Doctor Who.