Jodie Whittaker on being exterminated in Doctor Who: ‘Somebody’s decided to write me out early’

In Eve of the Daleks, the Doctor comes head-to-head against her most famous foe - and it may be surprising to learn that Whittaker's incarnation is actually killed by them!

But don't panic! That isn't the end of Thirteen as the episode is centred around a big time loop which gets reset anytime someone meets their maker.

Speaking about the upcoming episode, which will see her succumb to her foes a fair bit, Whittaker told press including RadioTimes.com: "When I read this episode for the first time and in one of the opening moments get exterminated I genuinely thought, 'Somebody has decided to write me out a bit sooner than I thought!'

"It’s brilliant to play because the first time, for the Doctor, it’s as if you’re grasping at those seconds and that realisation that it could be your last moment. And for you to be killed by a Dalek would be so horrendous! But then once you realise you’re in this time loop the anticipation of the pain and the fun that can be had with that... it’s the first time in my career I’ve died so many times in an episode, there’s always a first! "

John Bishop, who plays Dan in the special, added: "The problem that we face is that every time there’s a potential to interrupt them we get caught by them and get exterminated and have to start again. And that’s the maddest of all experiences because obviously (after) extermination by a Dalek, there’s no going back. So to have actually been one of the few characters ever to have survived the Dalek extermination in fact I think, ever, is a bit of an honour.

"It’s also a bit of an odd thing because how do you die? There are different ways of dying but when a Dalek exterminates you, you sort of freeze. I kept on trying to make it better every time!"

Read more about Doctor Who:

• Jodie Whittaker’s lost Doctor Who Christmas specials were a missed opportunity
• Doctor Who’s Mandip Gill: 'There will be tears when Jodie Whittaker leaves'
• John Bishop says he’ll "always be grateful" for time on Doctor Who
• Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat have discussed "fantastic" plans for Doctor Who's future

Doctor Who will return to BBC One on New Year's Day. Visit our Sci-fi hub for more news, interviews and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.