Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor has trouble remembering she’s a woman in new preview clip
By James Aggas
“Why are you calling me madam?” A new preview clip of Doctor Who has been released online, featuring Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor still getting used to her new body.
Right now, the biggest things that we’re wondering about with Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor are the same things that we’re curious about with any new Doctor: what’s she going to be like? Will she be as strong as previous incarnations? And how will her Doctor be written?
We’re now exactly one week away from finding out in full. But fortunately for us, beyond trailers and interviews that help to give us a good idea of the answers to those questions, we also have preview clips. Or at least, one preview clip, for the moment.
The clip (which you may have seen already, as it was leaked online several months ago,) shows a conversation between Jodie’s Doctor and her new companions Yasmin and Ryan. At this point, it’s clear that the Doctor keeps forgetting she’s a woman now, giving us an absolute gem of a line:
"Sorry, half an hour ago, I was a white-haired Scotsman!"
A fascinating glimpse
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In some ways, it’s not much, but it’s already telling us a lot about what Whittaker’s Doctor will be like. She’s eccentric, bonkers and all over the place. Some of this will be down to having just regenerated, particularly with not remembering who she is. Quite a few Doctors in the past have suffered from amnesia after regeneration, after all. (Especially the Eighth.)
Still, I think this clip gives us a clear idea of her character. And so far, she’s very promising in the role, having a lot of qualities that have made other Doctors so great.
Even better, they’re addressing the gender change right now. This could become less of an issue over time, but it certainly needs to be addressed in the first episode, even briefly. This is, after all, one of the biggest changes that Doctor Who‘s had in its long history. So the “white haired Scotsman” quote is just perfect.
We don’t get much of an idea of the companions just yet, but that’s OK. I’m sure we’ll find out a lot more about them next week. Still, it’s nice to get a really good glimpse of exactly what the new Doctor is like. And it’s a glimpse that’s very promising indeed.
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Did you enjoy the clip? What are your thoughts on it? Are you liking Jodie Whittaker’s performance as the Doctor so far? Let us know in the comments below.