Doctor Who devotees are convinced they’ve spotted a secret cameo by Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor in the upcoming Christmas special.
Whittaker debuted as the Thirteenth Doctor in the 2017 Christmas special ‘Twice Upon a Time’. She subsequently took over as Doctor Who’s headliner for three seasons and a trilogy of specials.
Whittaker’s tenure in the TARDIS was controversial. While her status as the first female Doctor drew positive attention, several storylines from this era dramatically altered the canon and divided viewers.
Whittaker’s final appearance as the Thirteenth Doctor was in 2022’s ‘The Power of the Doctor’. She hasn’t reprised the role since – but some fans believe that’s about to change.
Doctor Who fans think Jodie Whittaker will appear in Christmas special
The evidence for their Jodie Whittaker/Doctor Who comeback theory? A still from the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, ‘The Church on Ruby Road’, that recently surfaced on X.
— Davido (Childish Landino) 🏴 (@Davido_DW) December 12, 2023
The still depicts a hooded figure carrying a baby – the Fifteenth Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) future companion, Ruby Sunday – across a snowy churchyard. While the figure’s face is hidden, her brown lace-up high-top boots are easy to make out – and look identical to those worn by the Thirteenth Doctor.
Predictably, fans went wild speculating that Whittaker’s incarnation of the Doctor could tie into Ruby’s mysterious past. “I can’t unsee it now,” posted one X user. “Holy f**k, obviously buzzing to see Ncuti in action but I wouldn’t say no to a Jodie cameo,” chimed in a second.
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“That actually looks like Jodie’s chin too,” added a third. “This would be amazing,” enthused a fourth. Not everyone was convinced, though. Some naysayers disputed the boots’ similarity to Whittaker’s pair, while others suggested they belong to a grown-up (presumably time-traveling) Ruby.
Either way, Whittaker is not officially attached to ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ at this stage. So, if the star is reprising the Thirteenth Doctor role, the BBC is keeping it under wraps.
Doctor Who’s Goblin Song is a surprise Christmas hit
Other aspects of the Doctor Who Christmas special are already public knowledge, however. This includes the nature of the festive-themed episode’s villains, who are confirmed to be goblins.
A tune sung by the Christmas special’s ghoulish antagonists, the aptly named ‘Goblin Song’, dropped earlier this month to a largely positive response. It even nabbed the number two spot on the UK iTunes chart, beating out Mariah Carey classic ‘All I Want For You Christmas Is You’.
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