BBC has no comment on report that Jodie Whittaker is leaving Doctor Who

The BBC has declined to comment to EW about a report that Jodie Whittaker is leaving Doctor Who on which she plays the titular Time Lord.

British tabloid The Mirror reported on Sunday that Whittaker will exit at the end of the next season of the time travel show. “It’s all very hush-hush but it is known on set that Jodie is leaving and they are gearing up for a regeneration," the newspaper quoted an anonymous insider source as saying. “Her departure is top secret but at some point over the coming months the arrival of the 14th Doctor will need to be filmed. It’s very exciting.” According to the source, showrunner Chris Chibnall will remain with the series.

Whittaker first appeared as the Doctor at the end of the 2017 Christmas special and has starred in two seasons of the show. She is the first woman to play the role.

When EW spoke with Whittaker last month, the actress deflected a question about her future on the show saying, "As far as I’m concerned, right now, I'm the Doctor and that’s taking up everything of me, as an actor. And to think something beyond that, I can’t put my head there, and I don’t want to."

Interestingly, Whittaker was prepared to speak with more certainty about her future when the most recent season of Doctor Who premiered at the start of 2020, confirming that she would be returning to the show for a third season playing the titular Time Lord.

“Yes, I’m doing another season,” she told EW. “That might be a massive exclusive that I’m not supposed to say, but it’s unhelpful for me to say [I don’t know] because it would be a massive lie! I absolutely adore it. At some point, these shoes are going to be handed on, but it’s not yet. I’m clinging on tight!”

Whittaker is currently shooting the upcoming season of the show.

"We’ve got lots of new characters, new monsters, some old ones coming back," Chibnall told EW in December. "We’re only a few weeks in. We’re obviously having to work in a very different way, under COVID protocols. So, it’s not without its challenges but every series of Doctor Who has had its challenges. At the moment, everybody's smiling and what we’ve got so far is really thrilling...As soon as we finish it, I promise we’ll put it on telly straight away."

This year's special holiday episode of Doctor Who saw the departure of two core cast members, Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole. It was recently announced that comedian and actor John Bishop is joining the show for the new season.

Related content:

• Doctor Who New Year's special recap: Daleks and departures
• Inside the making of the first-ever Doctor Who holiday special
• Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker reveals inspiration behind character's costume