When should Doctor Who season 11 announce Jodie Whittaker companion?
What we know at the moment is clearly this: There doesn’t seem to be any limitation for who the fine folks at the BBC would choose for the role. We’ve heard many people out there who are interested in there being a male companion, just as we’ve also heard from others who would love to see an all-female team. From out vantage point, it’s the same as having a female Doctor: It’s all about the right performer. Cast with that in mind first and foremost. We know that with Whittaker you’ve got a tremendous performer on board the show, and the next step is finding the right person to work alongside her.
So when will new showrunner Chris Chibnall announce something on this subject? Be prepared to wait a while. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be Pearl Mackie, given that the show is going for almost a full reset moving into season 11. Meanwhile, we don’t expect to see anyone making their presence felt in the Christmas Special later this year. We also don’t anticipate there being any sort of announcement about a new companion before then. There was some urgency that came with announcing Whittaker as Thirteen before the special, given that the network wanted to control the narrative and not have it spoiled out from under them. However, there is a little less urgency seemingly to announce the new Companion.
Our sentiment is that if the goal is to launch season 11 in the fall of 2018 (which has been rumored), you can announce the new Companion in the spring via a new teaser or a press release. Doing that, once more, gives you a chance to beat the British press to the punch. If you want to control what’s being said, this is the right way in order to do that. Just do it before the Companion starts to get involved in substantial amounts of filming, since you don’t want to run the risk of anyone finding out in advance.
For the record, we want someone who’s high-energy, incredibly curious, but also capable of challenging The Doctor. That was one of the best things about Mackie’s Bill Potts: She was never afraid of putting herself out there and making it clear that she didn’t agree with The Doctor when he would do something bold or brash. The Doctor may have been around for centuries, but that doesn’t mean that they’re a perfect entity. They make mistakes, and as an alien they also don’t spend all that much time viewing the world through a human lens.
When do you want the Jodie Whittaker Companion announcement to be made? Be sure to share in the comments!
Also, if you haven’t seen it already, be sure to head over to the link here in the event you want to see one of the first videos featuring Whittaker talking about the role. (Photo: BBC.)