Jodie Whittaker
Jodie Whittaker | |
---|---|
Born | Jodie Auckland Whittaker 17 June 1982 Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, England |
Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2005–present |
Known for | Thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who |
Spouse |
Christian Contreras (m. 2008) |
Children | 2 |
Signature | |
Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress. She is best known as the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who (2017–2022), Beth Latimer in Broadchurch (2013–2017) and Orla O’Riordan in Time (2023).
She came to prominence in her 2006 feature film debut Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. She was later praised for her roles in the cult science fiction film Attack the Block (2011) and the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You" (2011).
On 16 July 2017, the BBC announced that Whittaker would play the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who. She formally assumed the role from Peter Capaldi in the 2017 Christmas special episode "Twice Upon a Time". Whittaker appeared in her first full series as The Doctor in the eleventh series, which premiered in October 2018. She continued in the role in the twelfth series in 2020 and thirteenth series in 2021. She stepped down after three special episodes in 2022, alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall.
Early life
Jodie Whittaker was born on 17 June 1982 in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire. She is the second child and only daughter of Yvonne (née Auckland) and Adrian Whittaker. She attended Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School before training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2005 with an acting gold medal.
Career
Early career
Whittaker made her professional debut in The Storm at Shakespeare's Globe in 2005. She has since worked in film, television, radio and theatre. In 2007, she stood in at short notice for an unwell Carey Mulligan in the Royal Court's production of The Seagull, and appeared in a fundraising play at the Almeida Theatre.
In Whittaker's first major role, she co-starred as Jessie in the film Venus (2006), receiving British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. Her radio credits at that time included a 2008 adaptation of Blinded by the Sun by Stephen Poliakoff and playing Lydia Bennett in Unseen Austen, an original drama by Judith French. In 2009, she worked on the films Ollie Kepler's Expanding Purple World and Perrier's Bounty, as well as the BBC Two drama Royal Wedding and the short film Wish 143, which was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.
In the early 2010s, Whittaker co-starred in the anthology series Accused (2010) and the adaptation of Sarah Waters's novel The Night Watch, followed by the role of Ffion in the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You". In film, she starred in the cult science fiction comedy horror Attack the Block, as well as in projects like The Kid (2010), One Day (2011), Hello Carter (2013) and Good Vibrations (2013). She also returned to the stage in the contemporary staging of the classic Greek tragedy Antigone, playing the title role opposite Christopher Eccleston as Creon.
In 2014, she appeared as Sandra Grimes in the reality-based spy drama miniseries The Assets and as Anna in the BAFTA-nominated short film Emotional Fusebox, later reprising the role in its feature-length version, Adult Life Skills, and earning nominations in the Best Actress category at both the British Independent Film Awards and the National Film Awards. She also took one of the lead roles in the hit ITV crime drama Broadchurch (2013–2017) and the four-part BBC One medical drama Trust Me (2017).
2017–2022: Doctor Who
On 16 July 2017, Whittaker was announced as the Thirteenth Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who; she is the first woman to play the title role. She had previously worked with incoming Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall on Broadchurch. She admitted that she had to "tell a lot of lies" after being cast to keep the information secret and used the codeword "Clooney" when talking about the role. Whittaker kept her mother in "the inner circle" regarding knowledge of the role, as her father, Adrian, "would have the ability to tell the world".
She urged fans not to be afraid of her gender, saying "Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one." Chibnall said that he always wanted a woman for the part and that Whittaker was their first choice.
Reaction to Whittaker's casting was mostly positive, although a "sizeable minority" was unhappy. Some said that a female Doctor would be a good role model for young girls, while others felt the Doctor was only ever meant to be male, or criticised the casting as an exercise in political correctness. Whittaker debuted in the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time".
In November 2018, the BBC confirmed that the twelfth series, Whittaker's second series, began production. Whittaker returned for the thirteenth series, and departed the programme following the series and three associated specials in 2022. She also voiced the Doctor in the 2022 BBC Sounds podcast Doctor Who: Redacted.
2023–present
In February 2023, a press release indicated that Whittaker was filming for a six-part Australian drama series One Night for Paramount+. In April, it was announced that she would star alongside Bella Ramsey and Siobhan Finneran in the second series of the BBC prison drama Time and that filming would start in the spring of 2023 in and around Liverpool. The series premiered on BBC One in October 2023. In August, she joined the main cast of the Netflix limited series Toxic Town, based on the Corby toxic waste case.
Personal life
Whittaker met Christian Contreras, a Belizean-American actor and writer, in drama school, and they married in Arizona in 2008. She gave birth to their daughter in April 2015, and had their second child in 2022. As of 2018 they reside in London.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Venus | Jessie | ||
2007 | St Trinian's | Beverly | ||
2008 | Good | Anne Hartman | ||
2009 | White Wedding | Rose | ||
Thrush | Ruby's Friend | Short film | ||
Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne | Bridget Byrne | |||
Roar | Eva | Short film | ||
Perrier's Bounty | Brenda | |||
Wish 143 | Maggie | Short film | ||
Mr. Dorothy | Mitch's Wife | |||
St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold | Beverly | |||
2010 | The Kid | Jackie | ||
Ollie Kepler's Expanding Purple World | Noreen Stokes | |||
2011 | Attack the Block | Samantha Adams | ||
Two Minutes | Juliette | Short film | ||
One Day | Tilly | |||
A Thousand Kisses Deep | Mia Selva | Also video operator | ||
Hello Carter | Susie | Short film | ||
2012 | Ashes | Ruth | ||
Dust | Jessica's Mum | Short film | ||
Smoke | Woman | |||
2013 | Hello Carter | Jenny | ||
Spike Island | Suzanne | |||
Good Vibrations | Ruth | |||
2014 | Get Santa | Alison | ||
Emotional Fusebox | Anna | Short film | ||
Black Sea | Chrissy | |||
2016 | Adult Life Skills | Anna | Also executive producer | |
2017 | Journeyman | Emma | ||
2018 | Untitled | Mary | Short film | |
2019 | Rachel | Rachel | ||
2022 | Type | Franny (voice) |
Television
† | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | The Afternoon Play | Sam | Episode: "The Last Will and Testament of Billy Two-Sheds" | |
Doctors | Louise Clancy | Episode: "Ignorance Is Bliss" | ||
Dalziel and Pascoe | Kirsty Richards | Episode: "Fallen Angel" | ||
2007 | This Life + 10 | Clare | Television film | |
2008 | Tess of the D'Urbervilles | Izz Huett | 3 episodes | |
Wired | Louise Evans | 3 episodes | ||
The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall | Sophie | Television film | ||
Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills & Boon | Mary Boon | |||
2009 | Return to Cranford | Peggy Bell | 2 episodes | |
2010 | Accused | Emma Croft | Episode: "Liam's Story" | |
Royal Wedding | Linda Caddock | Television film | ||
2011 | Marchlands | Ruth Bowen | 5 episodes | |
Black Mirror | Ffion | Episode: "The Entire History of You" | ||
The Night Watch | Vivian Pearce | Television film | ||
2013–2017 | Broadchurch | Beth Latimer | 24 episodes | |
2014 | The Assets | Sandy Grimes | 8 episodes | |
The Smoke | Trish Tooley | 8 episodes | ||
2017 | Trust Me | Cath Hardacre / Dr Ally Sutton | 4 episodes | |
2017–2022 | Doctor Who | Thirteenth Doctor | Debut in "Twice Upon a Time", series 11–13, 2022 specials | |
2023 | Ready Eddie Go! | Narrator (voice) | 26 episodes | |
One Night | Tess | 6 episodes | ||
Time | Orla O'Riordan | 3 episodes (Series 2) | ||
Tabby McTat † | Narrator (voice) | Television film | ||
TBA | Toxic Town † | Susan McIntyre | 4 episodes |
Stage
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | The Storm | Ampelisca | Shakespeare's Globe | ||
2006 | Enemies | Nadya | Almeida Theatre | ||
2007 | A Gaggle of Saints | Sue | Trafalgar Studios | ||
Awake and Sing! | Hennie Berger | Almeida Theatre | |||
2012 | Antigone | Antigone | National Theatre | ||
2021 | Doctor Who: Time Fracture | Thirteenth Doctor | Immersive LDN | Pre-recorded video |
Radio and podcast
Year | Title | Role | Production | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Blinded by the Sun | Joanna | BBC Radio 4 | ||
Unseen Austen | Lydia Bennett | ||||
2012 | Bite | Julie | |||
2016 | Special Deliveries | Narrator | Episode: "Second Class, Signed For" | ||
2022 | Doctor Who: Redacted | Thirteenth Doctor | BBC Sounds | 5 episodes |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Developer | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Doctor Who: The Runaway | Thirteenth Doctor (voice) | BBC Media Applications Technologies | Virtual reality game | |
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time | Maze Theory | ||||
2020 | Coding with the Thirteenth Doctor | BBC Learning / Tynker | |||
2021 | Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins | Kaigan Games | Cameo role | ||
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality | Maze Theory |
Music videos
Year | Title | Artist | Director | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | "All of You" (feat. Aruba Red and Plan B) | Riz MC | Tom McKay and Richard Pengelley |
Discography
Year | Title | Album | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | "Yellow" | BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered | Single (#5 on the Official Big Top 40) |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Ian Charleson Awards | — | Enemies | Nominated | |
Royal Television Society Midlands Awards | Best Actress | The Afternoon Play | Won | ||
British Independent Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer | Venus | Nominated | ||
Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |||
2007 | Critics' Circle Film Awards | British Newcomer of the Year | Nominated | ||
2010 | Online Film & Television Association's Television Awards | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries (shared with the cast) | Return to Cranford | Nominated | |
2012 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Attack the Block | Nominated | |
Black Reel Awards | Best Ensemble (shared with the cast) | Nominated | |||
2013 | Crime Thriller Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Broadchurch | Nominated | |
2014 | Royal Television Society Programme Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
2016 | British Independent Film Awards | Best Actress | Adult Life Skills | Nominated | |
2017 | National Film Awards UK | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Best Breakthrough Performance in a Film | Nominated | ||||
2018 | Evening Standard British Film Awards | Best Actress | Journeyman | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Doctor Who | Nominated | ||
Heat's Unmissables Awards | Unmissable Actress of the Year | Won | |||
2019 | National Television Awards | Drama Performance | Nominated | ||
Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | Nominated | |||
BAFTA Cymru Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | |||
2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series | Nominated | ||
2022 | Nominated | ||||
DIVA Awards | Celebrity Ally of the Year | — | Nominated |
- 1982 births
- 21st-century English actresses
- Actresses from Yorkshire
- Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
- English feminists
- English film actresses
- English radio actresses
- English stage actresses
- English television actresses
- English video game actresses
- Living people
- People from Skelmanthorpe
- Actresses from Huddersfield