Big Finish confirms that Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill are set to return to Doctor Who to lead their own series of Thirteenth Doctor audio dramas in 2025. Whittaker made her groundbreaking series debut in 2017 following Peter Capaldi’s departure, leading the series for three seasons and five specials until 2022 as the first female incarnation of the Time Lord on-screen. Gill joined the Thirteenth Doctor as Yasmin Khan, a Yorkshire police officer who would remain with the Doctor from her first adventure until her final moments in 2022’s “The Power of the Doctor.”
Despite two years passing since Whittaker’s last Doctor Who appearance, Big Finish has announced the Thirteenth Doctor adventure series, with Whittaker and Gill reprising their roles. Both released statements highlighting their excitement, as the Thirteenth Doctor’s initial adventures will consist of 12-hour-long audio drama adventures beginning in July. Check out Whittaker and Gill’s statements below:
Jodie Whittaker: “I’m over the moon to be joining Big Finish for more adventures in the TARDIS. Recording the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz is a really lovely thing to revisit. One of the things Mandip and I used to love on Doctor Who was getting in, doing a new episode and meeting a brand-new cast. I just can’t wait to step back into the boots, pull on the coat and get cracking. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be brilliant.”
Mandip Gill: “Doctor Who has been a huge part of my career and personal life and I am looking forward to seeing how I can further enrich my character through this exhilarating series. To be able to work with Jodie again is a dream come true, we have such a special friendship, I’m sure the recordings will be filled with laughter.”
When Will Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who Audio Dramas?
Big Finish Can Help Flesh Out An Unexplored Story Arc.
Between the events of Doctor Who season 12 and Flux, the Thirteenth Doctor was focused on finding out about her past upon learning about the Timeless Child revelations.
With Whittaker and Gill confirmed to be leading the series, viewers can already narrow down when the Thirteenth Doctor’s tenure in the Big Finish series will take place. With Gill as seemingly the sole companion for the series, it can be assumed the initial twelve adventures will be set between the events of Doctor Who season 12 and season 13’s Flux storyline, following the departures of Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan (Tosin Cole), but before they meet Dan Lewis (John Bishop). As such, the Thirteenth Doctor’s audio drama adventures may focus on her search for her past.
Between the events of Doctor Who season 12 and Flux, the Thirteenth Doctor was focused on finding out about her past upon learning about the Timeless Child revelations. In this state, the Time Lord was single-mindedly focused on searching out any leads to her past, throwing herself into increasingly dangerous situations to find any ties to Division in the wake of Gallifrey’s destruction. All the while, Yaz was left to confront her building feelings about the Doctor and her sexuality that had left her conflicted for many years, leading to her coming out in “Eve of the Daleks.”
For the Thirteenth Doctor, one common criticism of her on-screen adventures was how many ideas did not receive the attention they deserved, be her reckoning with her true past or her relationship with Yaz. As such, there had been speculation that Big Finish could deliver her era with the same further fleshing out that Colin Baker and Paul McGann’s underutilized on-screen incarnations received. As such, Whittaker and Gill’s Big Finish Doctor Who debut will encourage audiences to dive into their adventures in 2025.
The Thirteenth Doctor’s currently released Doctor Who episodes are available to stream on Max.