Jodie Whittaker speaks out on her Doctor Who future as she films third series

"To even question an end point [of Doctor Who] would be too upsetting," she said, before explaining how her expectations of the part had already been surpassed.

"I had this idea that fame from Doctor Who would be like that Notting Hill image of Rhys Ifans [when he opens the front door to a horde of paparazzi] and it isn't," she explained. "If you bump into a Whovian, it genuinely makes both of your days.

"There's something emotional, poetic and very humbling about being in the show, because you're a tiny little jigsaw piece of something that is so precious to so many people."

Whittaker took over the role from Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi after he left the show at the end of series 10, becoming the first woman to play the character in the show's history.

She has now been in the role for two full series and has largely won praise for her performance – coming second place in a recent RadioTimes.com poll to determine the most popular Doctor, finishing narrowly behind winner David Tennant.

She will next be seen in this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, Revolution of the Daleks, which will see her locked away in a high-security alien prison while her companions are forced to take on the newly redesigned Daleks.

Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks comes to BBC One on New Year’s Day – check out what else is on with our TV Guide