The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) puts her engineering skills into action in The Power of the Doctor (2022).

It’s the end of the line for the Thirteenth Doctor – but not until she’s made her heroic last stand in a feature-length special to mark 100 years of the BBC. In this exclusive preview, showrunner CHRIS CHIBNALL and stars JODIE WHITTAKER, MANDIP GILL and JOHN BISHOP tell PAUL KIRKLEY and MARCUS HEARN how they’re going out with a bang in The Power of the Doctor…

The Power of the Doctor will see the final TARDIS trip for Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill).

Nothing is forever. No regeneration, no life. For Doctor Who, change is the one constant, and even though it only feels like a handful of heartbeats since she fell from the stars onto the TransPennine Express, the Thirteenth Doctor’s time is nearly up. Sound the cloister bell – for this is the day she dies.

But don’t reach for those tissues quite yet. Because we still have 90 explosive minutes of Jodie Whittaker’s firecracker Time Lord to enjoy in her final adventure. And if you’re expecting a long, gloomy march to the guns, then think again, because The Power of the Doctor earns its place at the heart of the BBC’s centenary celebrations with some of the biggest, boldest and most ambitious storytelling the series has ever attempted. It’s a story that sees the return of some old friends, some old enemies – including the ‘big three’ of the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Master – and a few surprises along the way…

“There are quite a few things in the episode that sort of bookend my time on the show,” says Jodie. “For Doctor Who fans, I think it’s a real treat – it couldn’t have more carrots, more homages, more involvement of past, present and future. And if you’ve never seen Doctor Who before, then you’re getting an absolute dose. I really feel like it has something for everyone.”

As well as being the Doctor’s last stand, the episode also marks the departure of her most faithful companion, Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill. “It’s definitely bigger than anything Chris has created before,” says Mandip. “When I watched it for the first time, with Chris and Jodie, my mouth was like this…”