Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker wishes she could have played The Master
Michelle Gomez’s Missy would have been a dream role for the Thirteenth Doctor
Jodie Whittaker is all set to appear in her second Doctor Who series as the Doctor - but in another world, Whittaker would have liked to have played another iconic character from the classic sci-fi show.
Asked what character she would like to play if not her own, Whittaker was far from hesitant in giving a reply.
“Missy, without a shadow of a doubt,” Whittaker told RadioTimes.com. “Yeah, that’d be brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”
“We’ve heard good things about her,” added co-star Mandip Gill.
Missy was the most recent iteration of the Doctor’s infamous foe the Master, who has appeared in various forms throughout the show’s run both in classic episodes and the revived series.
Considered the Doctor’s arch-enemy, the Master is also a Time Lord – but one who has used their powers for evil rather than good. Michelle Gomez was the first woman to appear in the role when she played Missy across several episodes from 2014 to 2017, and won critical acclaim for her take on the character previously played by the likes of Roger Delgado, Anthony Ainley and John Simm among others.
Whether Whittaker could ever have been in the frame to play another female take on the character is one of those great "what-if" questions - somehow, we can't help but feel she was a better fit for the side of angels - but who knows? If Missy ever does return, maybe Whittaker will at least get the chance to act alongside her (other) dream role.
Meanwhile, some of Whittaker’s co-stars also shared the roles they would like to have played in an alternate universe - and if they had it their way, they might not be great terms with the Doctor themselves…
“I would like to play a monster,” Mandip Gill, who portrays Yaz on the show, told RadioTimes.com. “I was going to say with prosthetics, but actually, we’ve seen them, and they sit there for hours…
“So maybe not one with prosthetics or one with a head. Maybe one with face paint on. That would be good. And a big, massive costume. A real costume that’s hard and is a real thing, and it’s an animal.”
And Tosin Cole, who plays Ryan, would also have liked a shot playing a baddie, adding, “I think I’d play a villain with no makeup.”
Well, who knows? Maybe in a parallel universe the heroes did get to play the more villainous roles…
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on New Year’s Day at 6:55pm
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
