New ‘Doctor Who’ Jodie Whittaker has revealed her dad was less than impressed about being kept in the dark about her exciting new TV role.
The 35-year-old actress was announced as the new Time Lord in July, but was under strict instructions to keep it a secret for three whole months before the big reveal.
The ‘Broadchurch’ star did tell two people her news - mum Yvonne and husband Christian - but admits her dad, Adrian, couldn’t be trusted to keep it to himself - which he was “furious” about.
Jodie tells The Mirror: “My dad was furious. But good news is difficult to keep secret.
Ouch.
In fact, Jodie took the secrecy about her high profile new role so seriously that she even used a codeword – “The Clooney” – when talking to her agent.
“It was a full military operation,” she said. “I basically whispered for three months and it was tedious even in my own kitchen.
Jodie also insists that she wasn’t simply “handed the part on a plate” and went through an extensive audition process.
“There was this long process, as it should be,” she explained. “They needed to make sure I was right for the part.
Since Jodie was revealed as the new Doctor, past incarnations of the role have all spoken out in support of her, including David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi.
However, past Time Lord Peter Davison caused controversy when he admitted the one thing that concerned him about Jodie’s appointment was that young boys who watch ‘Doctor Who’ could potentially lose a role model with a woman at the helm of the show.
He’s since deleted his Twitter account, in response to the backlash he received from fans of the show.
Jodie’s first appearance as the Doctor will be in this year’s Christmas special, which will also be Peter Capaldi’s final appearance.