BBC won't comment on report that Jodie Whittaker is quitting Doctor Who

HuffPost UK

After The Mirror reported that Whittaker's upcoming third season as The Doctor will be her last, the BBC failed to quash the report, saying in a statement: “We won’t be commenting on any speculation around Jodie’s future on the show.” According to The Daily Mail's Nicola Methven, Whittaker has told her Doctor Who bosses she "intends to stick to the traditional rule of leaving after three stints in the TARDIS, like the majority of her predecessors." Whittaker would be following co-stars Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole, who departed with last week's New Year's Day special. Jodie previously said she was “absolutely devastated” over their exits, adding of filming their final scenes: “I’ve not cried like that for such a long time.” As one source told Methven, "It’s all very hush-hush but it is known on set that Jodie is leaving and they are gearing up for a regeneration. Her departure is top secret but at some point over the coming months the arrival of the 14th Doctor will need to be filmed. It’s very exciting.” Filming on Whittaker's third season is expected to wrap this summer and air this fall.

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• Why Jodie Whittaker should stick around: "It still feels like Whittaker is just getting started," says Huw Fullerton. "After two series and an awful lot of adventures, I’m still looking and waiting for her quintessential 'Doctor' moment, the scene that will define her period in the role and be looked back on by fans with fond nostalgia. I like the Thirteenth Doctor, but I’m still not sure if I know her. And while it’s possible that (as with Peter Capaldi’s incarnation) her final series could finally define and secure my impression of her, I still feel like we could use more time with this particular Time Lord. Of course, there’s an argument that after three series Whittaker should have had plenty of time to make that case. And indeed, when these exit rumors first emerged fans were quick to note that if she were to leave later this year Whittaker would be following the pattern of modern Doctor Who, which tends to see Time Lords hand in their sonic screwdrivers after (roughly) three series and four years at the helm. Beginning at the end of 2017 and (apparently) regenerating in 2021 or early 2022 fits that trend perfectly – but with Whittaker, there’s a twist in the tale. While Peter Capaldi did only play the Doctor from 2013 to 2017 in three series, he managed to rack up significantly more screen time within that period than Whittaker has in hers."
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