Charlie Brooker celebrates former Black Mirror star Jodie Whittaker’s performance in Doctor Who
Black Mirror co-creator and Doctor Who fan Brooker says he knew Whittaker would make for a fantastic Doctor: "she’s f****** brilliant"
New Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker has well and truly won nay-sayers round with her performance in the iconic role.
The 36-year-old's debut as the Thirteenth Doctor saw 8.2 milllion tuning in to watch, and the plaudits have rolled in from fans, former stars and critics.
While some viewers were initially uncertain as to how Whittaker would take on the role, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker was always certain that Whittaker would be fantastic.
The 47-year-old previously worked with Whittaker in the first series of Black Mirror, where she starred as cheating wife Ffion in The Entire History of You.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com ahead of the release of his new book, Inside Black Mirror, Brooker said, “How good is she? She’s f****** brilliant in Doctor Who."
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Brooker, who frequently reviewed Doctor Who on his TV series Screenwipe and even contributed to Doctor Who guide Behind The Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who, added that he and his sons loved Whittaker’s performance.
“I’ve got my kids who are four and six years old and they’re both boys. Our four-year-old wanted to see Doctor Who, which I told Jodie about before the show went out, so I got him started on that.”
Brooker added that having Whittaker as his son's 'first' Doctor would be a novel experience for him – and a valuable one.
“For him, the Doctor is a woman, that’s the default to him. One day he will understand Doctor Who was a man at one point,” Brooker said.
“Within 10 seconds of [Jodie] appearing she was the Doctor. She took it all in her stride and made it her own. Which is exactly what the show should be doing and what is has done – again, reinventing itself.”
Brooker, who said in a 2006 episode of Screenwipe that he “loves Doctor Who as it bypasses the cynical, nasty, gnarled bit of his brain”, was once previously approached to write for the show – which is currently headed up by Chris Chibnall.
“I was approached for Doctor Who and I just didn’t have time, he told The Independent in 2016. "It was really annoying. I was really busy and they haven’t asked me again since. It was a bit like the Home Office asking you to do something.”
Doctor Who continues Sunday at 7pm on BBC1
Inside Black Mirror, published by Ebury Press, is out on 1st November
