Jodie Whittaker: ‘I’m immensely jealous of new Doctor Who cast’

Published

1 year ago

November 25, 2023

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She was the first woman to play one of British TV’s most iconic roles, but as Dr Who returns without her this weekend, Jodie Whittaker is back on our screens in new Australian drama One Night.

The series follows three female friends whose lives have been shaped by the traumatic events of one night when they were teenagers.

Now as grown women, they are reunited and the truth of what really happened is revealed throughout the show.

With each episode told from a different character’s perspective the programme examines the complexities of friendships and memories, as well as dealing with sexual assault.

Whittaker told Sky News’ Backstage podcast that the way it was written allowed her to do something she felt hadn’t been done before.

“Sexual assault has been portrayed in many TV shows and dramas but this point of view of it for me was completely unique,” she said.

“Very often, we’re with the detectives, the people it most affects are the people being talked about, not listened to, and [with] this it was as if Emily [Ballou – the show’s writer], went into everybody’s brain that this really affected and gave them a voice.

“But also it showed the challenging thing of ownership of memory, what a thing to be the main thread throughout – that it’s about ownership of who has the right to tell a story.

“I found that fascinating because within this story that, on paper, is a narrative that we’ve seen before, it isn’t done like this.”

While it’s clear from the first episode that something terrible happened on the night in question, Whittaker’s character Tess has memory loss.

The actress says she read real impact statements to prepare for the role.

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“There is a lot that you can find that is particular to someone who has no memory of the assault and that was very helpful,” Whittaker said.

“But also it was really important as well for myself that I was playing someone who didn’t know, so therefore I didn’t read episode six and no one was allowed to talk about episode six around me.

“I’m not method and I don’t stay in character, but there’s certain things you can do to help yourself, and sometimes actors have knowledge of things but their characters don’t, so I tried to separate that completely and keep it there – if my character didn’t know, I didn’t know, and that really helped.”

One Night has come out soon after the release of Time – the second series of the prison drama which saw Whittaker playing a woman serving time for not paying for her electricity.

Both shows look at real-world issues that affect many women in the UK, but Whittaker says it wasn’t necessarily a conscious choice to do something so different to the time-travelling sci-fi she had previously been working on.

“Doing Doctor Who I’ve been unavailable for however many years and it was just such a joy to have had a year off and then go do [Time],” she explained.

“Sydney [where she filmed One Night] was a kind of beautiful gift of a place because I was there when I got sent Time, and at the time it overlapped… So then I missed the first two weeks of filming [Time] and I got back in a completely different time zone and ran into it.

“But it was very method because I was totally out of my depth, but [so was her Time character] Orla in every scene, so that’s fine.”

As for the much-anticipated return of Doctor Who – which will celebrate its 60th anniversary with three specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate before a full series return with Ncuti Gatwa taking on the role of the Time Lord – Whittaker says she, like the fans, can’t wait.

“I’m absolutely desperate to see it, it’s the first time since I’ve been a part of the universe of Doctor Who that I don’t know what’s about to happen,” she said.

“So I don’t know anything, I have zero spoilers – I’m definitely not in it and there’s no way of me giving anything away, there’s no pressure, I can’t ruin it.

“I am so excited and I’m just immensely jealous.”

One Night is streaming on Paramount Plus – to hear more on the show and the return of Doctor Who listen to the latest series of Backstage, the film and TV podcast from Sky News.

Entertainment

Dance artist Moby on the destructive force of fame – and why he’s content being that ‘weird old guy’

Published

21 hours ago

May 9, 2025

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Dance artist Moby on the destructive force of fame - and why he's content being that 'weird old guy'

He is the man behind the biggest-selling electronica record of all time, but the success of Moby’s album Play came with some unwanted side effects.

His fifth record, the album charted at 33 upon its release in the UK in May 1999, and fell out of the Top 40 after just a week. But despite the lacklustre initial response, Play started to pick up steam, slowly climbing the chart until it reached number one in April 2000.

It stayed there for five weeks and remained in the Top 40 until March 2001, re-entering the Top 100 several times over the next few years.

While Moby had experienced success with Go, the breakthrough 1991 single from his self-titled debut album, Play was next level. Even if you don’t know the album, you’ll know at least some of the songs – Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, Honey, and Natural Blues. The record was ubiquitous and fame hard to escape.

“I think fame and fortune are, probably, empirically two of the most destructive forces on the planet,” he says, speaking from his home in Los Angeles. “I mean, if fame and fortune fixed things, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse would still be making records.

“I guess it’s a very easy system to buy into, especially in a place like… in New York, in Los Angeles, in these big cities that are driven by ostentation and consumption and the need for external validation. It’s hard to resist those temptations. But then… you look at the consequences of that.

“I’d rather try and live a rational life and not necessarily let other people’s concerns dictate what my concerns should be.”

Now sober and with a few years between him and those heady days of peak fame, in recent years Moby has been doing something few established stars in his position would do – giving his compositions away for free.

“I have a house, I have a car, I have some hoodies, I have food in the fridge, I don’t really need anything more,” he insists. “To live and work in a way where I’m not driven by money, why not use that as an opportunity?”

Selfless selfishness or selfish selflessness

Over a decade ago, the musician came up with the quietly radical idea of making a free music licensing platform, MobyGratis. The idea was simple and rather exciting, he admits – to allow anyone unrestricted access to hundreds of his compositions to use them however they wish. From film scores to remixes, whatever.

“It’s either selfless selfishness or selfish selflessness, meaning I’m giving these things away but the benefit to me is I get to see what people do with it,” he says.

“There are a lot of things about the current digital media climate that are terrifying and baffling and confusing, but one of the things I love is the egalitarian nature of it.”

The idea of giving his music away for free runs somewhat contrary to the AI copyright battle many artists are currently speaking out over, with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Damon Albarn calling for greater protections in law to prevent artificial intelligence software from scraping their work to learn from it.

Remix culture and creative processes

“I completely appreciate and respect the concerns that other people have,” says Moby. “I think they’re incredibly valid… but for me personally, I don’t know. Maybe it’s naive and stupid of me, but I kind of just ignore it.

“I put this music out there and you sort of hope for the best, which probably is completely dim-witted of me. Part of remix culture is seeing how people reinterpret your work; sometimes it’s mediocre, sometimes it is bad, but sometimes it is so inspired, and I can actually learn a lot from other creative processes.”

The dance artist also takes issue with how the act of giving and compassion more generally has come to be seen, and references Elon Musk‘s comments on Joe Rogan’s podcast in April, when the billionaire said: “We’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on.”

Moby says that while “we live in this world of fear, selfishness, desperation and viciousness”, he supports “anything that is a rejection of the manosphere… anything that rejects Elon and the idea that empathy is a weakness and reminds people that life can be simple and decent.”

He jokes: “I’m definitely becoming like the weird old guy that you’ll see in the mountains, sort of like not making eye contact and mumbling about chemtrails or something.”

This is a man who is aware his approach to fame, fortune and giving stuff away is somewhat out-of-keeping with the times we’re living in – but the thing is, Moby doesn’t seem to care.

Entertainment

Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs claims there was ‘mutual violence’ between him and ex-girlfriend

Published

23 hours ago

May 9, 2025

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Lawyer for Sean 'Diddy' Combs claims there was 'mutual violence' between him and ex-girlfriend

A lawyer representing Sean “Diddy” Combs has told a court there was “mutual” domestic violence between him and his ex-girlfriend Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura.

Marc Agnifilo made the claim as he outlined some of the music star’s defence case ahead of the full opening of his trial next week.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of
transportation for prostitution. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Ms Ventura is expected to testify as a star witness for the prosecution during the trial in New York. The final stage of jury selection is due to be held on Monday morning.

Mr Agnifilo told the court on Friday that the defence would “take the position that there was mutual violence” during the pair’s relationship and called on the judge to allow evidence related to this.

The lawyer said Combs‘s legal team intended to argue that “there was hitting on both sides, behaviour on both sides” that constituted violence.

He added: “It is relevant in terms of the coercive aspects, we are admitting domestic violence.”

Ms Ventura’s lawyers declined to comment on the allegations.

US District Judge Arun Subramanian said he would rule on whether to allow the evidence on Monday.

Combs, 55, was present in the court on Friday.

He has been held in custody in Brooklyn since his arrest last September.

Prosecutors allege that Combs used his business empire for two decades to lure women with promises of romantic relationships or financial support, then violently coerced them to take part in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances known as “Freak Offs”.

Combs’s lawyers say prosecutors are improperly seeking to criminalise his “swinger lifestyle”. They have suggested they will attack the credibility of alleged victims in the case by claiming their allegations are financially motivated.

The trial is expected to last around eight weeks.

Entertainment

Harvey Weinstein accuser says film mogul ‘took her soul’ during alleged sexual assault

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2025

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Harvey Weinstein accuser says film mogul 'took her soul' during alleged sexual assault

An ex-model has tearfully told a court that being sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein when she was 16 was the most “horrifying thing I ever experienced” to that point.

Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault

Kaja Sokola told the film producer’s retrial that he ordered her to remove her blouse, put his hand in her underwear, and made her touch his genitals.

She said he’d stared at her in the mirror with “black and scary” eyes and told her to stay quiet about the alleged assault in a Manhattan hotel in 2002.

Ms Sokola told the New York court that Weinstein had dropped names such as Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow, and said he could help fulfil her Hollywood dream.

“I’d never been in a situation like this,” said Polish-born Ms Sokola. “I felt stupid and ashamed and like it’s my fault for putting myself in this position.”

Weinstein denies sexually assaulting anyone and is back in court for a retrial after his conviction was overturned last year.

The 73-year-old is not charged over the alleged sexual assault because it happened too long ago to bring criminal charges.

However, he is facing charges over an incident four years later when he’s said to have forced Ms Sokola to perform oral sex on him.

Prosecutors claim it happened after Weinstein arranged for her to be an extra in a film.

“My soul was removed from me,” she told the court of the alleged 2006 assault, describing how she tried to push Weinstein away but that he held her down.

Ms Sokola – who’s waived her right to anonymity – is the second of three women to testify and the only one who wasn’t part of the first trial in 2020.

Miriam Haley last week told the court that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006. The other accuser, Jessica Mann, is yet to appear.

Claims against the film mogul were a major driver for the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and abuse in 2017.

Weinstein’s lawyers allege the women consented to sexual activity in the hope of getting film and TV work and that they stayed in contact with him for a while afterwards.