Jodie Whittaker faces final battle in Doctor Who BBC centenary special

Jodie Whittaker will face her final battles as the Time Lord in one last special episode of Doctor Who to mark the BBC’s centenary.

The actress, 40, became the first woman to portray the Doctor when she took over the role from Peter Capaldi in 2017.

The feature-length programme airing on Sunday evening, titled The Power Of The Doctor, will bring an end to her time in the sci-fi series as the 13th iteration of the character.

Her final episode is the last of three specials to air this year and will see the Doctor fight for her existence against some of her deadliest enemies: The Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen.

This will be the first time the three classic adversaries of the Doctor all feature in a single story since the show returned to BBC One in 2005.

The Time Lord will face further issues, including deciphering who is attacking a speeding bullet train on the edges of a distant galaxy, and why seismologists are going missing from 21st century Earth.

She will also be left wondering who is defacing some of history’s most famous paintings, and why a Dalek is trying to make contact with her after all these years.

The anniversary special will see two of the Doctor’s companions from earlier eras reprising their roles, with Janet Fielding returning as Tegan Jovanka, companion to the fourth and fifth Doctors, and Sophie Aldred coming back as Ace, companion to the seventh Doctor.

Whittaker will see out her last episode alongside actors Mandip Gill and comedian John Bishop.

Also set to return is actor Sacha Dhawan, who last appeared as The Master in series 12’s final episode, The Timeless Children.

Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will take over the role after Whittaker’s departure, to become the show’s 14th Doctor.

Gatwa, 30, will become the fourth Scot to take the role, after Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant and Capaldi.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall is also set to leave the programme, to be replaced by Russell T Davies, who was behind the 2005 revival of the show.

The Power Of The Doctor will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.30pm on Sunday.