The Thirteenth Doctor’s era was always going to be an important one, marked as it was by Jodie Whittaker becoming the first woman to play the Doctor in the show’s history. This alone was enough to spark debate back in 2017 when Whittaker’s casting was announced, with some welcoming the change, others feeling sceptical about it. Personally, I was very excited about the prospect of a female Doctor, and I think there’s no doubt that the legacy of the character being played by a woman is an important one. Hannah and Megan, members of UoB’s Doctor Who Society, have stated that the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor made them feel welcome to Doctor Who, which they had previously felt alienated from because the show and its fanbase seemed to be male-dominated. Megan had not ‘realise[d] how many women and non-binary people were fans’ of the show, while Hannah said ‘seeing someone who looked and sounded like me made me want to be a part of it.’ As a woman who was a fan of Doctor Who prior to Whittaker’s casting, I’m very glad that a female Doctor has encouraged more women and girls to watch the show. Many hoped that Whittaker as the Doctor would provide a strong role model for women and girls, and I do believe this has been the case.

Whittaker’s performance as the Doctor has been excellent throughout, giving the part her own unique spin whilst staying true to the heart of the character. Jacob from UoB’s Doctor Who Society has admitted that although he ‘openly disliked Whittaker at the start’, his opinion changed over time, and he now ‘concede[s] that she was an incredible cast for the Doctor.’ Another acting highlight for me in this era has been Sacha Dhawan’s performance as the Master. This was an excellent casting choice, and I hope he will return to the part in the future. In terms of plotting and execution, the Master’s return was brilliant – his reveal at the end of ‘Spyfall, Part 1’ was particularly well done.

Regarding the controversial ‘Timeless Child’ concept, while I was initially rather taken aback at what seemed to me to be quite a big change to the Doctor’s history, I have come to accept that this doesn’t essentially change who the Doctor is and what they represent. As the Fugitive Doctor herself says to the Thirteenth Doctor, ‘Have you ever been limited by who you were before?’ (‘The Timeless Children’). The main plot point I disliked in this era was the Master’s destruction of the Time Lords and Gallifrey. The Doctor’s saving rather than destroying Gallifrey and the Time Lords in the 50^th anniversary special ‘The Day of the Doctor’ is a key moment of hope and joy in New Who. Therefore, the decision to have them destroyed all over again was very irritating.

However, there were some stories in this era that I thoroughly enjoyed. ‘The Partition of India’ combines a delicate understanding of the complex history of partition, deeply heartfelt scenes, and some well-placed comedic lines. I loved the time-loop concept of ‘Eve of the Daleks’, and I appreciated the recognition of romantic tension between the Doctor and Yaz in this episode. The Doctor (particularly the Tenth Doctor) has been romantically linked to companions and other characters before, but this was the first prominent same-sex connection, which I found very refreshing. Yaz coming to terms with her identity has had its own importance, with Megan of UoB’s Doctor Who Society explaining that this ‘helped [her] to come to terms with [her] sexuality.’

Some may be glad to see the back of this era, particularly with the highly-anticipated return of Russell T. Davies as showrunner, as well as David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa as the 14^th and 15^th Doctors, respectively. However, while I am excited for a new era of Doctor Who and to see both Tennant and Gatwa as the Doctor, it was with some sadness that I watched the Thirteenth Doctor’s regeneration scene. Yes, there have been some weak stories in this era, but we’ve also enjoyed some fantastic episodes and a brilliant portrayal of the Doctor. Jodie Whittaker, you will be missed.

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