Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker praises Chris Chibnall's "beautiful" Thasmin writing
"It didn't come out of nowhere."
Jodie Whittaker has heaped praise on Doctor Who's former showrunner Chris Chibnall for the "beautiful" way in which he wrote the scenes between Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill.
In Legend of the Sea Devils, Whittaker's penultimate episode, Yaz admitted she had romantic feelings for the Doctor. While it didn't flourish into a romantic relationship, plenty of fans loved the scenes between the pair of them.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com ahead of her and Gill's Big Finish debut in the upcoming Thirteenth Doctor Adventures, Whittaker said: "I think it was a really treasured ending, because me and Mandip started it together, and so to end the series together, or to end our version of it together, was really beautiful.
"I thought that Chris's writing of the relationship development between Yaz and the Doctor was really beautiful and peppered throughout the seasons, so it didn't come out of nowhere, and I think that that just naturally bounced off how we are with each other, and I think that that being so well received from the fans has been brilliant.
"Even now, obviously they've got new people to invest in and new adventures to go on, but we've had wonderful interactions recently with different Doctor Who fans who still find that relationship between these two characters very meaningful and impactful on them."
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Whittaker, who also recently said she's "protective" of how she bowed out of the show, is currently recording for Big Finish with her former co-star Gill.
Gill said: "The fact that we get to revisit and go on different adventures as the Doctor and Yaz is really exciting because it's a very unique job in that way.
"In most jobs, you film it and it ends, and that's it. But obviously with this, it has an entire world and life outside of the TV show."
As for whether they'll get to explore that relationship more in audio form? While they're still mid-recording, Whittaker and Gill say they're focused on the action and adventures in hand for now - but "never say never".
Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures begins in July 2025. Doctor Who will return at Christmas on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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