Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker says she is ‘grief-ridden’ about leaving show

Jodie Whittaker has admitted she is “reluctant” to leave Doctor Who after five years.

The actor will put down her sonic screwdriver in a special, feature-length episode of Doctor Who, titled “The Power of the Doctor”, which airs later this month.

Appearing on BBC Radio 2 on Tuesday (11 October), Whittaker said she has been on an “emotional rollercoaster” since filming her final scenes as the 13th Doctor last October.

“I’ve had a whole year to get my head around leaving and I’m still not there,” she said.

“I’m still crying about it, I’m still clinging on to the coattails and reluctantly handing over the shoes.”

The 40-year-old actor said that her final episode, which also coincides with the BBC’s centenary celebrations, should serve as a fitting celebration of her time and the show.

“It’s only a good thing to end something and be, just, grief-ridden because it was such a wonderful experience, so there’s no negatives,” she added.

Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa will take over from Whittaker in the role of the Doctor next, with the actor saying she doesn’t know what his new role will look like.

“Luckily for me, I cannot ruin it, I can’t give any spoilers because I know nothing,” she said.

Whittaker added that despite not meeting Gatwa yet, she has left him multiple WhatsApp messages of advice for playing the Doctor and he has been “very generous” to actually reply to her.

Whittaker became the first female Doctor after taking over the role from Peter Capaldi, and her final episode will see the Time Lord battle against well-known enemies like the Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen.

Doctor Who airs on Sunday 23 October on BBC One.