Jodie Whittaker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jodie Whittaker
Whittaker at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2022
Born	Jodie Auckland Whittaker (1982-06-17) 17 June 1982 (age 43) Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, England
Alma mater	Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2005–present
Notable credit(s)	Black Mirror (2011) Broadchurch (2013–2017) Doctor Who (2017–2022)
Spouse(s)	Christian Contreras ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	2
Signature

Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born on 17 June 1982) is a talented English actress. She is well-known for her roles in TV shows like Broadchurch, where she played Beth Latimer from 2013 to 2017. She also famously starred as the Thirteenth Doctor in the popular science fiction series Doctor Who from 2017 to 2022.

Jodie first became famous with her movie debut in 2006, called Venus. For this role, she was nominated for important awards like the British Independent Film Award. She also received praise for her work in the sci-fi film Attack the Block (2011) and an episode of Black Mirror called "The Entire History of You" (2011).

In 2017, Jodie Whittaker made history by becoming the first woman to play the Doctor in Doctor Who. She took over the role from Peter Capaldi in the Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time". Her first full series as the Doctor was in 2018. She continued playing the role in 2020 and 2021, and then left after three special episodes in 2022.

Early Life and Training

Jodie Auckland Whittaker was born in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, England, on 17 June 1982. She is the only daughter of Yvonne and Adrian Whittaker. Jodie went to Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School. After that, she studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She graduated in 2005 and even won an acting gold medal!

Her Acting Journey

Starting Out

Whittaker at the 2014 British Independent Film Awards

Jodie started her acting career on stage in 2005 in a play called The Storm at Shakespeare's Globe theatre. Since then, she has acted in many films, TV shows, radio plays, and theatre productions.

In 2006, Jodie had her first big movie role as Jessie in Venus. This role earned her nominations for the British Independent Film Award and a Satellite Award. She also acted in radio shows, including a play called Blinded by the Sun and playing Lydia Bennett in Unseen Austen. In 2009, she appeared in films like Perrier's Bounty and the short film Wish 143, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Becoming Well-Known

In the early 2010s, Jodie starred in the TV series Accused (2010) and the TV movie The Night Watch. She also played Ffion in the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You". In movies, she was in the sci-fi horror comedy Attack the Block, and other films like The Kid (2010) and One Day (2011). She also returned to the stage to play the main role in the Greek play Antigone.

In 2014, Jodie played Sandra Grimes in the spy drama The Assets. She also starred as Anna in the short film Emotional Fusebox, and later in its longer version, Adult Life Skills. For this, she was nominated for Best Actress at the British Independent Film Awards. She also had a main role in the popular ITV crime drama Broadchurch (2013–2017) and the BBC medical drama Trust Me (2017).

Her Time as Doctor Who

Whittaker at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con promoting Doctor Who

On 16 July 2017, it was announced that Jodie Whittaker would be the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. This was a huge moment because she was the first woman ever to play the Doctor! She had worked with the new Doctor Who boss, Chris Chibnall, before on Broadchurch. Jodie had to keep her new role a secret, even using a special code word, "Clooney," when talking about it.

She told fans not to worry about her being a female Doctor. She said, "Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change." Chris Chibnall said he always wanted a woman for the part and that Jodie was their top choice.

Most people were happy about Jodie's casting. Some thought a female Doctor would be a great role model for young girls. Jodie first appeared as the Doctor in the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time."

In November 2018, the BBC confirmed that Jodie's second series as the Doctor would begin filming. She returned for the thirteenth series and also voiced the Doctor in a 2022 podcast called Doctor Who: Redacted. She left the show after three special episodes in 2022.

In July 2024, it was announced that Jodie would play the Thirteenth Doctor again in new audio dramas from Big Finish Productions, starting in 2025.

Recent Work

In February 2023, Jodie started filming a new Australian drama series called One Night for Paramount+. It was released in Australia in September 2023 and in the UK in November 2023. In April 2023, it was announced that she would star with Bella Ramsey in the second series of the BBC prison drama Time. Filming began in Liverpool, and the series premiered in October 2023. In August 2023, Jodie joined the cast of the Netflix series Toxic Town, which is based on a real-life event.

From October to December 2024, Jodie starred in a play called The Duchess in London's West End.

Personal Life

Jodie Whittaker met Christian Contreras, an actor and writer, at drama school. They got married in Arizona in 2008. They have two children, a daughter born in April 2015, and a second child born in 2022. As of 2018, Jodie and Christian live in London.

Filmography

Film

Television

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Afternoon Play, TheThe Afternoon Play	Sam	Episode: "The Last Will and Testament of Billy Two-Sheds"
	Doctors	Louise Clancy	Episode: "Ignorance Is Bliss"
	Dalziel and Pascoe	Kirsty Richards	Episode: "Fallen Angel"
2007	This Life + 10	Clare	Television film
2008	Tess of the D'Urbervilles	Izz Huett	3 episodes
	Wired	Louise Evans	3 episodes
	Shooting of Thomas Hurndall, TheThe Shooting of Thomas Hurndall	Sophie	Television film
	Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills & Boon	Mary Boon	Television film
2009	Return to Cranford	Peggy Bell	2 episodes
2010	Accused	Emma Croft	Episode: "Liam's Story"
	Royal Wedding	Linda Caddock	Television film
2011	Marchlands	Ruth Bowen	5 episodes
	Black Mirror	Ffion	Episode: "The Entire History of You"
	Night Watch, TheThe Night Watch	Vivian Pearce	Television film
2013–2017	Broadchurch	Beth Latimer	24 episodes
2014	Assets, TheThe Assets	Sandy Grimes	8 episodes
	Smoke, TheThe Smoke	Trish Tooley	8 episodes
2017	Trust Me	Cath Hardacre / Dr Ally Sutton	4 episodes
2017–2022	Doctor Who	Thirteenth Doctor	Debut in "Twice Upon a Time", series 11–13, 2022 specials
2021	Comic Relief 2021		Mini-episode called 2020: The Movie
2023	Ready Eddie Go!	Narrator (voice)	26 episodes
	One Night	Tess	6 episodes
	Time	Orla O'Riordan	3 episodes (Series 2)
	Tabby McTat	Narrator (voice)	Television film
2024	The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer	Herself / contestant	1 episode
TBA	Toxic Town	Susan McIntyre	4 episodes

Stage

Radio and Podcast

Year	Title	Role	Production	Notes
2008	Blinded by the Sun	Joanna	BBC Radio 4
	Unseen Austen	Lydia Bennett
2012	Bite	Julie
2016	Special Deliveries	Narrator		Episode: "Second Class, Signed For"
2022	Doctor Who: Redacted	Thirteenth Doctor	BBC Sounds	5 episodes
2025	Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures		Big Finish Productions	12 stories

Video Games

Music Videos

Web

Discography

Awards and Nominations

Jodie Whittaker has been recognized for her acting with several awards and nominations throughout her career.

See also

In Spanish: Jodie Whittaker para niños