We’ve already welcomed the Thirteenth Doctor with open arms. But if anyone needs proof of Whittaker’s talent as an actor, look no further.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or have the wisdom to keep off Twitter, you’ll already know that the Thirteenth Doctor has been crowned. Yorkshire-born actor Jodie Whittaker will take on the title role at Christmas as Peter Capaldi bows out.
Whittaker is by no means an unknown actor. But it’s fair to say she isn’t a household name. Well, she might be now. More likely you just knew her as “Beth from Broadchurch” or “that woman from the Black Mirror episode with the rewindy-eyes“.
Venus
Jodie has had a prolific career on stage, screen and radio. But we’re going to focus on TV and film with the highlights. Whittaker made her film debut in the 2006 comedy-drama ‘Venus’ opposite Peter O’Toole and Vanessa Redgrave.
She followed this up the following year with a small part in ‘St. Trinians’ playing scatterbrained school receptionist Beverly. She reprised the role for the 2009 sequel which also starred David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor. That wasn’t the only time she and Tennant worked together. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Attack the Block
In 2011, Whittaker was cast as Samantha in Joe Cornish’s ‘Attack the Block’. This sci-fi action comedy sees a gang of teenagers defending their council estate from an alien invasion. Without giving anything away, she definitely earns her alien-fighting credentials.
The same year, she made her Black Mirror appearance in the first series episode, ‘The Entire History of You’. She plays Ffion, a woman in an emotionally abusive relationship where every detail of her life is recorded for review.
Broadchurch
In 2013, she would be reunited with Tennant for her role in the ITV drama Broadchurch. For three series Whittaker played Beth Latimer, a woman coming to terms with the murder of her young son. The series was created and co-written by Chris Chibnall, who will join Doctor Who with Jodie as its full-time showrunner. Chibnall has previously written episodes of the series and served as head writer and co-producer for its spin-off Torchwood.
As well as her upcoming role in Doctor Who, Whittaker will play Cath Hardacre in the four-part BBC One thriller Trust Me. Hardacre is a dedicated nurse who gets suspended after becoming a whistleblower. Desperate to start fresh, she and her daughter move to Edinburgh where she tries to pass herself off as a consultant. The series will air later this summer with an exact date to be confirmed.
Though Whittaker’s theatre career has been fairly limited, we’d be remiss not to share this. A clip from the 2012 National Theatre production of Antigone, where Whittaker played the title role. If you look carefully, you might spot another familiar face playing opposite her.
