Doctor Who season 11: Jodie Whittaker on Phoebe Waller-Bridge rumors

Throughout most of the Doctor Who season 11 casting process, there was a woman linked to the role of The Doctor. However, it was not the final choice in Jodie Whittaker. Rather, Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge found herself continually having to deny talk that she was going to land the role. The speculation probably did give her and her work a higher profile, but it also likely stressed her out given that she constantly had to deflect and find other things to discuss in various interviews.

Whittaker was a guest recently on Dermot O’Leary’s BBC Radio 2 series, and in it she revealed that she actually felt rather bad for what Waller-Bridge had to go through:

“It was just amazing that Phoebe Waller-Bridge had all that and she dealt with it all so amazingly and gracefully … [I wanted to apologize, but] at no point could I just text her and go, ‘I’m so sorry’ – because I was under the radar the entire time [due to the secretive casting process] until the last few days.”

Whittaker is well aware of how the casting game goes — she makes one phone call and in the event that someone is listening in somewhere, the rumor mill gets going. The BBC wants to be the network to make the big announcement, so it coming out early does ruin a little bit of the fun. We’re honestly amazed that Whittaker wasn’t considered more of a favorite looking back when you consider all of the reasons why this casting is so obvious. For one, we’re speaking about someone who worked with new showrunner Chris Chibnall on Broadchurch, is within the perfect age range for the character, and is established enough to lead the show without being so established that it would distract from the story in some way. You want a Doctor who wants to have the role and will stay in it for a while, provided that they enjoy the part and the fans feel the same way.

Obviously, there’s been backlash, but we don’t think that’s unusual — it’s always there for new Doctors. If Whittaker is great in her new role, which we firmly expect her to be, then much of the bad gossip and negativity will float away to the other side of the horizon. There’ll still be a few haters out there, but that’s the same anytime there is change.

As for Waller-Bridge, wouldn’t it be great if she stopped by at some point as a guest star? It could be both a fun role for her and a nod to all of the fans out there who were interested in seeing her take on a role.

What do you think: Are there still some good roles out there for Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Doctor Who? Be sure to share in the comments below!

Meanwhile, head over to the link here in the event you want to get some additional news when it comes to the BBC series. (Photo: BBC.)