It’s official: Jodie Whittaker will return to Doctor Who for its next series.
Though she’d previously declined to comment on how long she’d be staying with the series, Whittaker has now told The Hollywood Reporter that she’ll be back for series 12.
“I really can’t wait to step back in and get to work again,” she said. “It’s such an incredible role. It’s been an extraordinary journey so far and I’m not quite ready to hand it over yet.”
Related: Doctor Who season 12: Premiere, cast, air date, trailer and everything you need to know
Whittaker’s first series as the Doctor will draw to a close this Sunday (December 9) at 6.25pm on BBC One with concluding story ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’.
Doctor Who will then return on New Year’s Day at 7pm for an hour-long special. It’s yet to be confirmed when exactly the following series will air.
It’s also unclear if this year’s companion actors – Bradley Walsh (Graham), Tosin Cole (Ryan) and Mandip Gill (Yaz) – are signed up for series 12.
Back in 2017, a press release appeared to confirm not just series 11, but also series 12 through 15, with a report from around the same time also suggesting that showrunner Chris Chibnall has a “five-year” plan for the series.
Chibnall was big on series 11 being a fresh start for Doctor Who, and a jumping-on point for new viewers. To that end, he promised “all-new monsters” and appeared to rule out appearances from classic foes like The Daleks.Doctor Who series 11 episode 9 ‘It Takes You Away’ reviewby Digital Spy GBPauseUnmuteCurrent Time 0:06Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%Remaining Time -4:50SubtitlesFullscreen
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It remains to be seen whether this rule will be relaxed for series 12, allowing a few classic characters and monsters to face off against Whittaker’s Time Lord.