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The Doctor Is In: Jodie Whittaker Urges People To "Be Kind" And "Listen To Science" As Her 'Doctor Who' Character

doctor who coronavirus message
By Hoai-Tran Bui/

Jodie Whittaker has an important message for fans who are social distancing amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: Be kind, and listen to science. She should know, after all, she's the Doctor.Doctor Who star Whittaker sent an "emergency transmission" to fans through the Doctor Who Twitter account, self-isolating herself to help curb the spread of coronavirus, or as she calls it, "hiding from an army of Sontarans." It's a sweet and funny video message that will be sure to brighten your day — as any episode of Doctor Who will do.

Don't worry, she's The Doctor. Okay, Jodie Whittaker isn't a medical professional per se, but she knows a thing or two about inspiring hope in humanity during the darkest of times. Whittaker's time-traveling protagonist of the long-running BBC sci-fi series has long made a habit of turning up when the world needs her most. And now she's showing up again, clad in her rainbow shirt and long coat with an important message to Doctor Who fans.

"Oh, hi, this is an emergency transmission," says Whittaker, dressed as the Doctor, in the clip. "If you're seeing this, the TARDIS must have detected an upsurge in psychological signals from somewhere in space and time. Basically, I think somebody somewhere might be a little bit worried. I'm actually just self-isolating, or as I like to call it, 'hiding from an army of Sontarans' — but keep that to yourself.

Now, here's what I do in any worrying situation. One, remember, you'll get through this and things will be alright, even if they look uncertain, even if you're worried, darkness never prevails. Two, tell jokes, even bad ones, especially bad ones, I'm brilliant at bad ones. Three, be kind, even kinder than you were yesterday, and I know you were super kind yesterday. Look out for each other, you won't be the other one worried. Talking will help. Sharing will help. Look out for your friends, your neighbors, people you hardly know, and family, because in the end, we're all family. Four, listen to science, and listen to doctors, right? They've got your back. Five, stay strong, stay positive, you've got this, and I will see you very soon."

Her "emergency transmission" made its way to the Doctor Who Twitter page, which posted it below.

Kindness is a common theme through Doctor Who's run, as is the strength of science, despite the show's reputation for technobabble. Whittaker's message represents those themes perfectly, and her giving the message dressed as the Doctor is perfect, given the show's main demographic of children who worship the time-traveling alien. It's, in a word, brilliant.

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