The Covid-19 pandemic absolutely changed the world, and most of the global population was forced to stay home to prevent the virus from circulating. In times of transformations and a lot of free time, BBC Studios has in its portfolio one series that really knows how to adapt to changes and that, due to its large number of seasons, becomes an ideal option for binge-watching in times of quarantine: "Doctor Who".
This British science fiction series produced by the BBC is divided into two stages: the so-called classic series, broadcast between 1963 and 1989, and the modern series, which began in 2005. The show follows the adventures of a time traveller known as The Doctor, who explores the universe in a self-conscious spaceship capable of traveling to any place and time.
"In 'Doctor Who' you can go anywhere and do anything. The people who created the format did a brilliant job, because it takes you to the past, present or future, allowing you to introduce any character and tell any story. In addition, the viewer has the Doctor, who is his greatest guide and a person he wants to travel with. We are never short of stories. In fact, the show can keep up with the world – as the world changes, the stories of the series change,” analyzed Chris Chibnall, showrunner of “Doctor Who”, in an exclusive dialogue with Señal News.
Chibnall joined the creative team of "Doctor Who" in 2016, just as the eleventh season of the show was beginning to be prepared. That season would end up being, perhaps, the most momentous in the program’s history. That is because his first big decision as a showrrunner was to incorporate actress Jodie Whittaker as the protagonist of the show. By doing so, she became the first woman to assume the main role of the show.
“It was one of the decisions I made when I was just starting out on the job. We were thinking that if there was going to be a new doctor, it would be great to have a female doctor for the first time. It was actually a very easy decision. We knew this was going to bring a new energy, and that it was going to help the series,” Chibnall explained. "It is very important for long-running series to keep having new injections of different flavours, different energies," he added.
According to the showrunner, choosing the perfect actress to take the lead role was also not a difficult decision. "We had to choose an amazing actress, and we were lucky to have Jodie. She came to the first audition and we were impressed. It was really easy because she entered the room, did the scenes and we knew immediately that she was the Doctor we wanted to see. A brilliant actress makes every decision really easy,” Chibnall admitted.
Although "Doctor Who" has had several protagonists in its many years of history, being the first woman in the main role was an extra challenge for Whittaker. "It can be a little intimidating at first. They offered me the part, we started recording and there was a whole process of preparation before it was announced that I was going to be the new Doctor. In a way, you are not the Doctor until the world knows you are the Doctor,” Jodie Whittaker confessed to Señal News.
For her, waiting for people's reaction came with a certain amount of nervousness, given the longevity of the program and its rich history. Creative freedom was key to letting go all of those initial fears, since she was allowed to build the character with his own characteristics without the need to imitate other actors.
“There is no way you can do a little of what everyone did, and you shouldn't do it either, because otherwise there would be no reason to change the main character. You have to make your own decisions and make people feel that there was a valid reason to do a new season," the actress said.
His incorporation into the eleventh season was accompanied by an excellent reception from both critics and fans of the show, known as Whovians. "‘Doctor Who’ has a wonderful fan base that is not scared of change. In fact, embracing change is part of the format of the show,” Whittaker assured.
“It is amazing to work in a show where people care. You can play and try different things, because people know the story, so you have these shared feelings with the audience. I would say it's not a fan base, but rather a big family," Chibnall added. "No matter how many shows are out there, ‘Doctor Who’ has this history, this incredible magic about it. ‘Doctor Who’ is made for everybody around the world,” he concluded.
By Federico Marzullo
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