Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary continues to dominate headlines as more reveals and rumors surface about the big milestone for the BBC series. Of course, there’s still one episode before all of that, as Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor will regenerate before the end of the year. Returning showrunner Russell T. Davies recently took a break from teasing the 60th to praise Whittaker’s final episode.
Russell T. Davies appeared as a guest on The One Show and was pressed for information about everything that’s ahead for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Davies kept from revealing anything about his anniversary celebration but did reveal some key details regarding Jodie Whittaker’s farewell as the Thirteenth Doctor:
I can't say, honestly, because what is coming up in October this year, is Jodie Whittaker's farewell. So, I feel like I'm upstaging it slightly. Love Jodie, and I just saw the finished version of that two days ago. It's a 90-minute epic, it's fantastic. So, that is gorgeous with lots of surprises and I'm going quiet!
Russell T. Davies revealed that the episode will arrive in October and that it’s "a 90-minute epic." That’s definitely exciting news for fans of the Thirteenth Doctor, who will get a feature-length episode to close out her tenure. The trailer for the episode already teased some exciting returns, with past companions Tegan and Ace both appearing.
Russell T. Davies also teased some additional surprises, and with all the 60th anniversary news, Doctor Who hasn’t revealed much about what fans can expect. I’m sure there are a few people wondering how David Tennant’s Doctor returns and how he fits into the story of the upcoming celebration. It’s possible that Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as The Doctor will set that up in some way and throw an unexpected curveball at its audience.
There’s also a possibility that the regeneration episode, per tradition when the torch is being passed from Doctor to Doctor, will feature Doctor Who’s first scene of Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor. It appears even Ryan Gosling is eager to see Gatwa in the role, so I’m sure many hope to see the actor utter his first lines in the farewell episode. With that said, there’s definitely something a little strange concerning the wording of Gatwa’s casting, and it’s possible his debut won’t happen during the upcoming episode.
Unfortunately, with Jodie Whittaker’s regeneration happening ahead of the 60th, it doesn’t seem likely that she’ll be involved in the actual special. If so, it's a shame she won’t be around to celebrate with other returning cast members, but maybe she’s grateful for the break after three seasons. Plus, she’ll forever be immortalized as the first female Doctor of the franchise, which is a pretty cool legacy to leave behind.
Anyone with an HBO Max subscription can revisit Jodie Whittaker’s run ahead of the final episode set to arrive in October. Hopefully, both this coming episode and the 60th are ones to remember and will invigorate the fandom ahead of Ncuti Gatwa’s proper run.
