Doctor Who: How Many Episodes Of Jodie Whittaker Are Left?

Now that Legend of the Sea Devils, Doctor Who's recent Spring Special, has premiered, how many episodes of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor are left?

Doctor Who: How Many Episodes Of Jodie Whittaker Are Left?

As the popular Jodie Whittaker’s turn as the Doctor in Doctor Who is ending, many viewers are understandably eager to know how many episodes of her tenure are left. The recent premiere of the Doctor Who Spring special, Legend of the Sea Devils, provided the series with another action-packed episode and saw the thirteenth Doctor come face to face with an old adversary. The next episode of Doctor Who is slated for release in Fall 2022, announced with a dramatic trailer revealed at the end of the Sea Devils episode.

As a result, Jodie Whittaker has now portrayed the time-and-space-traveling Doctor for a total of three seasons, as well as several holiday specials. Throughout her stint in the role, she has traveled with numerous companions, such as Yasmin Kahn (Mandip Gill), with whom Whittaker’s Doctor has developed a romance over the last few episodes. Whittaker’s Doctor has also been reunited with popular characters like John Barrowman’s Jack Harkness and has faced enemies both new and familiar, including but not limited to Sacha Dhawan’s portrayal of the Master, the Cybermen, and the Daleks. During Whittaker’s run, there were also quite a few standout historical episodes, one of the most memorable of which focused on Rosa Parks – penned by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall.

Yet despite Whittaker’s rampant success in the role, as with every Doctor Who iteration, there comes a moment when it is time for a new actor to step into the Tardis. With Whittaker’s departure will also come the departure of Chris Chibnall as showrunner, who will be replaced by Doctor Who alum Russel T. Davies. Davies was instrumental in developing modern Doctor Who, or “NuWho“, as it is colloquially known, and was its showrunner until 2009. It has now been revealed that Ncuti Gatwa will replace Whittaker as the next Doctor, while the trailer that debuted at the end of Legend of the Sea Devils did show a tease of the infamous regeneration sequence, indicating that the Fall special will be Jodie Whittaker’s last episode as the titular character.

Regeneration is a process of “molecular readjustment” through which Time Lords endure a complete physical change, and sometimes even a psychological one. Despite being a complex and often intangible piece of Doctor Who lore, the regeneration process also means that every actor that becomes the Doctor has a chance to put their unique stamp on the show. Jodie Whittaker was the first-ever woman to be cast as the Doctor in an impactful shake-up to the status quo, thereby hopefully heralding an age where anyone can potentially take on the role. In this way, she is certain to leave a lasting impression, whatever her Doctor Who replacement Gatwa does with the role.

It is unclear when the next actor slated to play the Doctor will be revealed, but the Fall 2022 special will certainly be Jodie Whittaker’s final episode in her run of Doctor Who. Yet this is not to say Whittaker will be erased from the Doctor Who narrative forever, with previous Doctors such as Matt Smith and David Tenant returning in certain special episodes over the years. In any case, Jodie Whittaker brought a fresh perspective to a beloved role, and that impact will be felt for seasons to come in Doctor Who no matter what the future holds for the franchise.