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Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker Reflects on Surprise 2020 Lockdown Episode

One of the surprises of 2020's COVID Lockdown was that Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker managed to release a new Doctor Who episode.

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Article Summary

  • Jodie Whittaker filmed a surprise Doctor Who episode at home during the 2020 COVID lockdown.
  • Showrunner Chris Chibnall wrote the heartfelt script, asking Whittaker to shoot it on her phone.
  • The episode featured Whittaker in her Doctor costume, filmed lo-fi in her wardrobe for authenticity.
  • Fans frequently mention the lockdown short as an inspiring highlight from Whittaker's Doctor era.

There are many reasons Jodie Whittaker became a beloved Doctor Who during her run, and one of them was when the whole world locked down during the COVID pandemic in 2020. While Film and TV production was suspended worldwide because everyone was forced to stay home for a year, an unexpected short – how short? Why, one minute and twenty-one seconds! – An episode of Doctor Who suddenly dropped out of nowhere on the official BBC YouTube channel. Then-showrunner Chris Chibnall wrote the script and Whittaker shot it at home in her closet using her phone. She told Doctor Who Magazine how it came together.

Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker on That Surprise Lockdown Episode in 2020
Image: BBC

How it Came About

"That one on my phone? It gets talked about so much! That was 100 per cent Chibs. It was absolutely Chris' idea. I'm quite protective over that, because a lot of people assumed I'd done it off my own back – improvised it on the spot. I hadn't. It was a brilliant speech, which Chris wrote for me. Totally lo-fi – no props, no effects, nothing. But I remember telling him, 'Don't worry, I've got my costume.'" In case I needed to do happy-birthday videos. I didn't just hang out in it! If someone says, 'Can you do a video?' – 'Hi, it's Jodie, I play the Doctor' – it's better if I'm in my costume. So I brought it home."

The Doctor in Her Closet

"We were between seasons. We were going to turn over (ie, start shooting) again in August or September (but delayed to November), and this was May. None of us knew what was happening with the show. Or with the world – like everyone, I was in a state of panic. Then Chris said, 'I feel like the Doctor should say something. Are you okay if I write it for you? It'd mean shooting it yourself.' I said, 'Absolutely!'

"He wrote this beautiful speech, and I found it really moving. I realised, 'I need to film this today.' So I grabbed my phone, went into my wardrobe, and just kept it simple – leaned into the lo-fi. No fuss, just the words. I was so moved – and really proud of Chris – that it had such an impact. People bring it up at every comic con, and always as such a positive thing for them. It's another of those unexpected, wonderful moments you don't imagine this job will bring."

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Adi TantimedhAbout Adi Tantimedh

Adi Tantimedh is a filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote radio plays for the BBC Radio, “JLA: Age of Wonder” for DC Comics, “Blackshirt” for Moonstone Books, and “La Muse” for Big Head Press. Most recently, he wrote “Her Nightly Embrace”, “Her Beautiful Monster” and “Her Fugitive Heart”, a trilogy of novels featuring a British-Indian private eye published by Atria Books, a division Simon & Schuster.
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