Jodie Whittaker will say goodbye to her iconic role as Dr Who in a one-off episode of the series this month. Off-screen it’s time to enjoy a new baby – and more than likely a visit back home to Skelmanthorpe near Huddersfield
The time has come for Jodie Whittaker to step off the Tardis after her epic journey from Skelmanthorpe to stardom via one of the world’s most iconic roles.
Jodie, 40, will be seen for the last time in her famous role in October, when a special episode will mark the BBC’s Centenary - and see her bow out to the next Doctor.
Jodie became a household name with the role of the Doctor as well as her memorable role as grieving mother Beth Latimer in Broadchurch. But the star had shone bright from a young age during her Yorkshire schooldays.
Skelmanthorpe is certainly proud of its famous daughter and there is no doubt that she feels the same way about this well-known village in West Yorkshire, a place she still calls ‘home’.
‘I go home to Skelmanthorpe as often as possible and I just fall in love with it again and again,’
she says. ‘I catch up with friends and family, go round the local shops and I just love visiting Langsett Reservoir which is so beautiful, always has been and probably always will be.
‘I think it is especially nice because I can go back to my roots and just be me, the same Jodie who grew up there. My parents grew up there too as we go back quite a way. I went to the local school – St Aidan’s Academy - and Skelmanthorpe really did give me a great start in life.’
Jodie is unmistakably a Yorkshire lass but is just as comfortable on the red carpet as she is on the rusty moorlands that surround her Huddersfield area homeland.
As an actress she can handle all sorts of accents but off-camera or stage she is totally herself.
‘I’m from Yorkshire and proud of it,’ she says.
‘I love everything about it. Even my favourite book is Wuthering Heights and I am a big Emily Bront֟e fan. After primary school I went to Shelley College and after that I was at Kirklees College where I studied performing arts and did OK.
‘It’s a wonder because I was not really good at school. I always found it difficult to sit there and have someone talking at me, I still have that problem. The teachers did their best but from a very early age I knew I wanted to be an actress. I happily played on my own as a little girl but all my dolls and other toys were involved and had ‘speaking parts’. Games of pretend were my playground so nothing has changed much there. As an actress you get to play pretend and get paid for it.’
Of course Jodie became a household name of epic proportions when it was announced that she would be the first female Doctor Who.
As she prepares to hand over the mantle, she remembers the first thrill of the role.
‘I think the hardest bit was keeping quiet about it until it was officially announced,’ she recalls.
‘It was so exciting but I had to keep it all in until it was officially revealed and Doctor Who is such a massive, iconic series that people all over the world were waiting to see who would be next. I know that some people were shocked to hear that the next Doctor Who was not a man.
‘The rumours were flying about and I know that not everyone was in favour but I hope that we did
well enough to keep the legend going.
‘I enjoyed the challenge of not disappointing the millions of fans while putting my own spin on it, as a woman I couldn’t copy any of the previous brilliant Doctor Who portrayals. I just had to do my own thing and hope it worked I think mostly it did but that’s because the support cast were all so good and the scripting was great.’
Jodie was not a star overnight, her career had been growing since she graduated from Guildford School of Music and Drama, where she first met her husband, Christian Contreras.
‘I made my professional debut at the Shakespeare’s Globe in The Storm and that was just so exciting, I couldn’t wait to phone home when I knew. It was a bit weird as well because I had to have seaweed draped round me to make my entrance - different I suppose.
‘Since then I have had a variety of work and landing a part in Broadchurch was another big step for me. It was quite good training for something else too because it was essential to keep the twists of the storyline under wraps otherwise it would spoil the impact of the series. That was good training for when Doctor Who came along and I had to keep it to myself for so long.’
It was not just a part, of course, Broadchurch created a major role and one for which Jodie received critical acclaim. In fact, her performance put her in pole position when a new Doctor Who was being cast.
In real life she is also a wife and a mum with a daughter and new baby born earlier this year, although she strives to protect her family from becoming public property.
In her professional life, Jodie has done it all – live stage, TV, radio and there is still much more to come.
‘I think that it can be difficult to do better than playing Doctor Who or having a dramatic role in Broadchurch so I don’t really think along those lines,’ she says.
‘I just look at the scripts and offers and if I like the look of it then that’s great, it doesn’t have to be a lead role, just something I like and can relate to.
‘I am just delighted to be an actress, I don’t think I am suited for much else. I don’t think I could ever have held down an office job, it would not be me. When I finished school I went back-packing for a year before going to Guildford, I have always had wide horizons so acting is probably the best thing for me because every part is different and presents its own challenges a bit like being on the live stage is different from recording a TV series.’
Jodie does have two constants in her life though – her family and Yorkshire.
‘I love coming from Yorkshire, I am proud of it,’ she adds. ‘I love going back and wherever I am
in the world I have never found anywhere to match the place where I grew up. There are some fabulous places but you can’t beat Yorkshire puddings or Yorkshire fish and chips!’
You can take the girl out of Yorkshire but you can’t take Yorkshire out of the girl – certainly if she is Jodie Whittaker.
A bit of Yorkshire Jodie
A favourite restaurant is Volare, in Skelmanthorpe
She supports Huddersfield Town FC and loves cricket
Jodie famously covered Yellow by Coldplay for BBC Children in Need
She is an ActionAid UK Ambassador and has been sponsoring children in Afghanistan since 2013
She’s a big fan of Jarvis Cocker
Her signature dish is Thai beef massaman curry - which was a hit on TV’s Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast. You can check out her recipe on jamieoliver.com
An ambition outside of acting would be to run a wine bar or gastropub
