Jodie Whittaker is the Doctor! But who is Jodie Whittaker?
If you're not au fait with the accomplished actress who'll be replacing Peter Capaldi on Doctor Who this Christmas, then Digital Spy has got your back.
Here are 10 of her must-see roles, to help you swot up before Doctor no. 13 arrives.
1. Venus
Whittaker's big screen breakthrough was this 2006 film, a touching comedy-drama starring Peter O'Toole as an elderly, ailing actor who finds himself attracted to his friend's grand-niece (Whittaker).
Whittaker scored a string of awards nominations – at the British Independent Film Awards, the Critic's Circle Awards and the Satellite Awards – for her performance as uncouth Jessie. "Newcomer Jodie Whittaker holds her own with O'Toole," noted BBC Movies, while Slant praised her "excellent, dagger-eyed performance".
2. Good
Whittaker stars opposite Viggo Mortensen in this 2008 drama about a German literature professor caught up in the rise of Nazism in the 1940s. The film itself drew mixed reviews, though Coming Soon noted that "Whittaker impresses once again, just as she did in Venus..." and praised the "particular grace" of her performance.
3. Wired
In her first lead television role, Whittaker played Louise Evans in the thriller mini-series Wired, an ITV drama about a bank employee who stole £3,000 from a former employer and ends up caught in a web of fraud and deceit.
Also starring Laurence Fox and Riz Ahmed, this twisty-turny thriller was called "hair-raising" and "highly watchable" by the British press.
4. Accused
BBC One's anthology series from BAFTA-winning writer Jimmy McGovern focused on characters played by Jodie and Andy Serkis in 2010's 'Liam's Story'.
Taxi driver and gambling addict Liam (Serkis) ends up becoming obsessed with Emma (Whittaker) after breaking into her house to steal a valuable necklace, with his fixation having dire consequences.
Again, Whittaker's "easy charm" was singled out for praise.
5. Marchlands
ITV's 2011 series Marchlands told the story of three families living in the same house in Yorkshire in three different time periods – 1968, 1987 and 2010 – linked by the spirit of a young girl who died in mysterious circumstances in 1967.
Whittaker played Ruth Bowen, grieving for her 8-year-old daughter who drowned six months previous, in this timey-wimey thriller that also starred River Song herself, Alex Kingston.
(A 2013 follow-up, Lightfields, starred Kris Marshall – a hot favourite to nab the Doctor Who role before Whittaker was confirmed.)
6. Attack the Block
Back to the big screen for Jodie in Joe Cornish's hugely popular sci-fi about aliens invading a South London council estate.
"Jodie Whittaker thrives as the heroine," wrote Digital Spy back in 2011, while the likes of Roger Ebert also praised how her character "emerges from stereotyped victimhood" in what was also John Boyega's film debut.
The Doctor and Finn fighting aliens? Sounds like Attack the Block is well overdue a rewatch.
7. Black Mirror
Whittaker played a pivotal role in what many consider to be Black Mirror's finest outing, 2011's 'The Entire History of You' – also starring Toby Kebbell.
What if our every waking moment was recorded for posterity? What if we could prove what someone had said, how wrong they were, in the midst of a heated argument? Wouldn't the urge to throw it back in their face be irresistible?
In this terrifying slice of tech horror, writer Jesse Armstrong argues that it would – and so it proves for Kebbell and Whittaker's doomed couple.
8. The Smoke
Short-lived despite strong reviews, Sky1's firefighter drama The Smoke starred Whittaker as the gutsy Trish, who supports boyfriend Kev (Jamie Bamber) after he's badly burnt on the job.
The Telegraph called Jodie "superb" – while The Guardian was also impressed, talking up the show's "incredibly powerful" and "claustrophobic" firefighting sequences.
9. The Assets
Jodie headed Stateside for this eight-part spy thriller that aired on ABC. The series drew mixed reviews and was dropped due to low ratings, but The A.V. Club noted how series lead Paul Rhys's turn "is matched by Jodie Whittaker's Sandy Grimes".
"It's clear both that Grimes is a sharp, dedicated agent and that Whittaker has worked to immerse herself in a role that doesn't offer too much room for nuance. (She's also done an excellent job masking her British accent.)"
10. Broadchurch
This ITV crime drama from new Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall became an overnight sensation when it launched in 2013 and much of that initial success was down to Whittaker's heartbreaking performance as a mother who'd lost her child.
"So much credit goes to Whittaker, who gives a master class in acting over these eight hours," said The Hollywood Reporter.
The series – which also featured ex-Doctor Who star David Tennant – ended for good earlier this year, freeing up Chibnall and Whittaker to take on their biggest challenge yet...
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