BBC1 - Sunday
While the BBC is celebrating 100 years of broadcasting, time is running out for Jodie Whittaker, the Thirteenth Doctor. In a 90-minute special, we’ll see her battling Daleks, Cybermen and the Master, before her incarnation fatally falls and she regenerates into… well, we think it’s David Tennant who’s returning to the TARDIS next year – but Who knows?
‘I would say that Whovians are in for an absolute treat,’ says Jodie, 40. ‘We celebrate the old, the present and the new in this story. It’s a wonderful homage to the legacy that Doctor Who has had. It encapsulates all the things fans love about the show – whether it be old monsters, returning characters, new elements, everything that unites Whovians is in this episode.’
Talking of returning characters, two of the Doctor’s Eighties companions are back for this final hurrah, titled The Power Of The Doctor. One is 69-year-old Janet Fielding, who appeared alongside Peter Davison’s Doctor as Tegan. ‘Jodie is very charming and she’s very good in the role,’ she says. ‘It was quite exciting to see a young woman doing the part. I loved that.’
The other is Sophie Aldred, as Ace – who travelled with Sylvester McCoy’s incarnation. ‘I think all the Doctor actors have a certain “something” in their own personality,’ Janet adds. ‘Jodie was brilliant – so buoyant and lively, and joyous and playful.’
Filming wrapped on the episode last year, and Jodie says she was able to leave the set with a few mementos. ‘I’ve got my costume, my sonic and a Cyberman! Also, when I fly the TARDIS, I flick a switch and what spins inside is a mini TARDIS that lights up – I’ve got that too!’
