Though her casting attracted a backlash – a ridiculous backlash, we might add – from a vocal minority of fans, Jodie Whittaker’s appointment as the Thirteenth Doctor has been widely hailed as a progressive step in the right direction for Doctor Who.
For the most part, previous actors who’ve played the role have also welcomed the news that the Time Lord is about to become a woman for the first time. Since the announcement that Whittaker would be portraying the character, several stars from the show, both past and present, have congratulated the actress – including Peter Capaldi, Colin Baker and David Tennant. Now, the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, has spoken up and voiced his opinion on the decision to cast a woman in the iconic role.
Though he only spent one season as the Time Lord, Eccleston made for a great Doctor and it was certainly sad to see him depart so abruptly. Behind the scenes issues ultimately forced him out, but a lot of people still remember his time on the series fondly and if the actor’s recent comments are any indication, it’d seem that he’s fully on board with having Whittaker in the role.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Loose Ends, Eccleston kept it short and sweet, giving his seal of approval to Jodie by saying the following:
“She’s working class, she’s northern, what can go wrong?”
Sounds like he’s into having a female Doctor and really, that’s not too surprising. As we mentioned above, most of the show’s former stars have thrown their support behind Whittaker and while she still does have her critics, we’re certainly excited to see what she can do in the role. Thankfully, we’ll get our first glimpse of her quite soon, as the actress will make her debut in the Doctor Who Christmas special.
Bringing together the likes of Pearl Mackie, David Bradley and Mark Gatiss, it’ll be on our screens in the latter stages of December and will give us our first look at Whittaker in action, however brief it may be. It’ll also herald Peter Capaldi’s last hurrah along with Steven Moffat’s, who’s poised to hand over the keys to showrunner Chris Chibnall for season 11. To get a taste of what’s to come, be sure to check out the preview below.