# Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress. Her roles on television include Beth Latimer, a grieving mother, in Broadchurch (2013–2017) and the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who (2017–2022).
She came to prominence in her 2006 feature film debut Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. She was later praised for her roles in the science fiction film Attack the Block (2011) and the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You" (2011). In 2017, Whittaker became the thirteenth lead actor to play the Doctor in Doctor Who; she formally assumed the role from Peter Capaldi in "Twice Upon a Time". Whittaker appeared in her first full series in the eleventh series in 2018 and stepped down after three special episodes in 2022.

## Early life

Jodie Auckland Whittaker was born on 17 June 1982 in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire. She is the second child and only daughter of Yvonne (née Auckland) and Adrian Whittaker. She attended Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School before training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2005 with an acting gold medal.

## Career
### Early career

Whittaker made her professional debut in The Storm at Shakespeare's Globe in 2005. She has since worked in film, television, radio and theatre. In 2007, she stood in at short notice for an unwell Carey Mulligan in the Royal Court's production of The Seagull, and appeared in a fundraising play at the Almeida Theatre.
In Whittaker's first major role, she co-starred as Jessie in the film Venus (2006), receiving British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. Her radio credits at that time included a 2008 adaptation of Blinded by the Sun by Stephen Poliakoff and playing Lydia Bennett in Unseen Austen, an original drama by Judith French. In 2009, she worked on the films Ollie Kepler's Expanding Purple World and Perrier's Bounty, as well as the BBC Two drama Royal Wedding and the short film Wish 143, which was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.
In the early 2010s, Whittaker co-starred in the anthology series Accused (2010) and the adaptation of Sarah Waters's novel The Night Watch, followed by the role of Ffion in the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You". In film, she starred in the cult science fiction comedy horror Attack the Block, as well as in projects like The Kid (2010), One Day (2011), Hello Carter (2013) and Good Vibrations (2013). She also returned to the stage in the contemporary staging of the classic Greek tragedy Antigone, playing the title role opposite Christopher Eccleston as Creon.
In 2014, she appeared as Sandra Grimes in the reality-based spy drama miniseries The Assets and as Anna in the BAFTA-nominated short film Emotional Fusebox, later reprising the role in its feature-length version, Adult Life Skills, and earning nominations in the Best Actress category at both the British Independent Film Awards and the National Film Awards. She also took one of the lead roles in the hit ITV crime drama Broadchurch (2013–2017) and the four-part BBC One medical drama Trust Me (2017).

### 2017–2022: Doctor Who

On 16 July 2017, the BBC announced Whittaker would play the Thirteenth Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who; she is the first woman to play the Doctor. She had previously worked with incoming Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall on Broadchurch. She admitted that she had to "tell a lot of lies" after being cast to keep the information secret and used the codeword "Clooney" when talking about the role. Whittaker kept her mother in "the inner circle" regarding knowledge of the role, as her father, Adrian, "would have the ability to tell the world".
She urged fans not to be afraid of her gender, saying "Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one." Chibnall said that he always wanted a woman for the part and that Whittaker was their first choice.
Reaction to Whittaker's casting was mostly positive, although a "sizeable minority" was unhappy. Some said that a female Doctor would be a good role model for young girls, while others felt the Doctor was only ever meant to be male, or criticised the casting as an exercise in political correctness. Whittaker debuted in the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time".
In November 2018, the BBC confirmed that the twelfth series, Whittaker's second series, began production. Whittaker returned for the thirteenth series, and also voiced the Doctor in the 2022 BBC Sounds podcast Doctor Who: Redacted. She departed the programme following the series and three associated specials in 2022. Whittaker generally received praise for her performance, though some felt the Thirteenth Doctor did little to combat social and political injustices.
Whittaker will reprise her role as the Thirteenth Doctor in a new series of Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish Productions from 2025.

### 2023–present

In February 2023, a press release indicated that Whittaker was filming for a six-part Australian drama series One Night for Paramount+. The series was released on Paramount+ in Australia on 1 September 2023 and in the UK and Ireland on 24 November 2023. In One Night, Whittaker played a rape victim. In April 2023, it was announced that she would star alongside Bella Ramsey and Siobhan Finneran in the second series of the BBC prison drama Time and that filming would start in the spring of 2023 in and around Liverpool. The series premiered on BBC One in October 2023. In August 2023, Whittaker joined the main cast of the Netflix limited series Toxic Town, based on the Corby toxic waste case. It was released on Netflix worldwide on February 27, 2025.
From October 2024 to December 2024, Whittaker starred in the West End stage play The Duchess. It was announced on January 30, 2025 that Whittaker and Suranne Jones would star in Frauds, a 6-part ITV heist series about 2 confidence women.

## Personal life

Whittaker met Christian Contreras, a Belizean-American actor and writer, in drama school, and they married in Arizona in 2008. She gave birth to their daughter in April 2015, and had their second child in 2022. As of 2018, they reside in London.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Venus | Jessie | |
| 2007 | St Trinian's | Beverly | |
| 2008 | Good | Anne Hartman | |
| 2009 | White Wedding | Rose | |
| 2009 | Thrush | Ruby's Friend | Short film |
| 2009 | Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne | Bridget Byrne | |
| 2009 | Roar | Eva | Short film |
| 2009 | Perrier's Bounty | Brenda | |
| 2009 | Wish 143 | Maggie | Short film |
| 2009 | Mr. Dorothy | Mitch's Wife | Short film |
| 2009 | St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold | Beverly | |
| 2010 | The Kid | Jackie | |
| 2010 | Ollie Kepler's Expanding Purple World | Noreen Stokes | |
| 2011 | Attack the Block | Samantha Adams | |
| 2011 | Two Minutes | Juliette | Short film |
| 2011 | One Day | Tilly | |
| 2011 | A Thousand Kisses Deep | Mia Selva | Also video operator |
| 2011 | Hello Carter | Susie | Short film |
| 2012 | Ashes | Ruth | |
| 2012 | Dust | Jessica's Mum | Short film |
| 2012 | Smoke | Woman | Short film |
| 2013 | Hello Carter | Jenny | |
| 2013 | Spike Island | Suzanne | |
| 2013 | Good Vibrations | Ruth | |
| 2014 | Get Santa | Alison | |
| 2014 | Emotional Fusebox | Anna | Short film |
| 2014 | Black Sea | Chrissy | |
| 2016 | Adult Life Skills | Anna | Also executive producer |
| 2017 | Journeyman | Emma | |
| 2018 | Untitled | Mary | Short film |
| 2019 | Rachel | Rachel | Short film |
| 2022 | Type | Franny (voice) | Short film |
| 2024 | That Christmas | Mrs. Williams (voice) | |
| TBA | Truckload | Sarah | |

### Television

Key :
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | The Afternoon Play | Sam | Episode: "The Last Will and Testament of Billy Two-Sheds" |
| 2006 | Doctors | Louise Clancy | Episode: "Ignorance Is Bliss" |
| 2006 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Kirsty Richards | Episode: "Fallen Angel" |
| 2007 | This Life + 10 | Clare | Television film |
| 2008 | Tess of the D'Urbervilles | Izz Huett | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Wired | Louise Evans | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall | Sophie | Television film |
| 2008 | Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills & Boon | Mary Boon | Television film |
| 2009 | Return to Cranford | Peggy Bell | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Accused | Emma Croft | Episode: "Liam's Story" |
| 2010 | Royal Wedding | Linda Caddock | Television film |
| 2011 | Marchlands | Ruth Bowen | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | Black Mirror | Ffion | Episode: "The Entire History of You" |
| 2011 | The Night Watch | Vivian Pearce | Television film |
| 2013–2017 | Broadchurch | Beth Latimer | 24 episodes |
| 2014 | The Assets | Sandy Grimes | 8 episodes |
| 2014 | The Smoke | Trish Tooley | 8 episodes |
| 2017 | Trust Me | Cath Hardacre / Dr Ally Sutton | 4 episodes |
| 2017–2022 | Doctor Who | Thirteenth Doctor | Debut in "Twice Upon a Time", series 11–13, 2022 specials |
| 2021 | Comic Relief 2021 | Thirteenth Doctor | Mini-episode called 2020: The Movie |
| 2023 | Ready Eddie Go! | Narrator (voice) | 26 episodes |
| 2023 | One Night | Tess | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Time | Orla O'Riordan | 3 episodes (Series 2) |
| 2023 | Tabby McTat | Narrator (voice) | Television film |
| 2024 | The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer | Herself / contestant | 1 episode |
| 2025 | Toxic Town | Susan McIntyre | 4 episodes |
| TBA | Frauds † | Sam | 6 episodes |

### Commercials

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2010 | Npower Widescreen | Penny |
| 2010 | Npower Tyne Tees Weather idents | Penny |
| 2010 | Npower get smart this winter | Penny |
| 2011 | Npower Clearer Bills | Penny |
| 2011 | Npower Ta-dah | Penny |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
| 2005 | The Storm | Ampelisca | Shakespeare's Globe | |
| 2006 | Enemies | Nadya | Almeida Theatre | |
| 2007 | A Gaggle of Saints | Sue | Trafalgar Studios | |
| 2007 | Awake and Sing! | Hennie Berger | Almeida Theatre | |
| 2012 | Antigone | Antigone | National Theatre | |
| 2019 | Doctor Who Escape Room: Worlds Collide | Thirteenth Doctor | | |
| 2020 | Doctor Who Escape Room: A Dalek Awakens | Thirteenth Doctor | | |
| 2021 | Doctor Who: Time Fracture | Thirteenth Doctor | Immersive LDN | Pre-recorded video |
| 2024 | ECHO | | Royal Court Theatre | |
| 2024 | The Duchess | Giovanna d'Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi | Trafalgar Theatre | |

### Radio and podcast

| Year | Title | Role | Production | Notes |
| 2008 | Blinded by the Sun | Joanna | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 2008 | Unseen Austen | Lydia Bennett | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 2012 | Bite | Julie | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 2016 | Special Deliveries | Narrator | BBC Radio 4 | Episode: "Second Class, Signed For" |
| 2022 | Doctor Who: Redacted | Thirteenth Doctor | BBC Sounds | 5 episodes |
| 2025 | Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures † | Thirteenth Doctor | Big Finish Productions | 12 stories |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Developer | Notes |
| 2019 | Doctor Who: The Runaway | Thirteenth Doctor (voice) | BBC Media Applications Technologies | Virtual reality game |
| 2019 | Doctor Who: The Edge of Time | Thirteenth Doctor (voice) | Maze Theory | Virtual reality game |
| 2020 | Coding with the Thirteenth Doctor | Thirteenth Doctor (voice) | BBC Learning / Tynker | |
| 2021 | Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins | Thirteenth Doctor (voice) | Kaigan Games | Cameo |
| 2021 | Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality | Thirteenth Doctor (voice) | Maze Theory | |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist | Director | Ref. |
| 2012 | "All of You" (feat. Aruba Red and Plan B) | Riz MC | Tom McKay and Richard Pengelley | |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2017 | The Thirteenth Doctor revealed | Thirteenth Doctor | |
| 2018 | Doctor Who Access All Areas | Herself | Guest; 10 episodes |
| 2020 | The Doctors Say Thank You | Herself | |
| 2020 | Message from the Doctor | Thirteenth Doctor | part of Doctor Who: Lockdown |
| 2020 | United we stand, 2m apart | Thirteenth Doctor | |
| 2021 | A Message from the Doctor | Thirteenth Doctor | part of Findthedoctor series |

## Discography

| Year | Title | Album | Notes | Ref. |
| 2019 | "Yellow" | BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered | Single (#5 on the Official Big Top 40) | |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Ian Charleson Awards | 2006 | — | Enemies | Nominated |
| Royal Television Society Midlands Awards | 2006 | Best Actress | The Afternoon Play | Won |
| British Independent Film Awards | 2006 | Most Promising Newcomer | Venus | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2006 | Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Venus | Nominated |
| Critics' Circle Film Awards | 2007 | British Newcomer of the Year | Venus | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association's Television Awards | 2010 | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries (shared with the cast) | Return to Cranford | Nominated |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | 2012 | Best Supporting Actress | Attack the Block | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 2012 | Best Ensemble (shared with the cast) | Attack the Block | Nominated |
| Crime Thriller Awards | 2013 | Best Supporting Actress | Broadchurch | Nominated |
| Royal Television Society Programme Awards | 2014 | Best Actress | Broadchurch | Nominated |
| British Independent Film Awards | 2016 | Best Actress | Adult Life Skills | Nominated |
| National Film Awards UK | 2017 | Best Actress | Adult Life Skills | Nominated |
| National Film Awards UK | 2017 | Best Breakthrough Performance in a Film | Adult Life Skills | Nominated |
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | Journeyman | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2018 | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Doctor Who | Nominated |
| Heat's Unmissables Awards | 2018 | Unmissable Actress of the Year | Doctor Who | Won |
| National Television Awards | 2019 | Drama Performance | Doctor Who | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2019 | Best Actress on Television | Doctor Who | Nominated |
| BAFTA Cymru Awards | 2019 | Outstanding Actress | Doctor Who | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | 2021 | Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series | Doctor Who | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | 2022 | Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series | Doctor Who | Nominated |
| DIVA Awards | 2022 | Celebrity Ally of the Year | — | Nominated |
| RTS Awards | 2024 | Leading Actor: Female | Time | Nominated |