Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
10Foot issue on sale now - featuring Banksy, TOX & more.
BUY NOW
News

Jodie Whittaker helps out a Big Issue vendor by signing copies of Doctor Who magazines

Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker stopped to chat with Jon who was selling copies featuring her exclusive exit interview

Jodie Whittaker Big Issue

Outgoing Doctor Who and Big Issue cover star Jodie Whittaker was photographed laughing and joking with Big Issue vendor Jon Gregg after signing all his magazines and posing for photos. Image: TillenDove

Jodie Whittaker bowed out of Doctor Who in style in an epic, action-packed thrill-ride. And she proved the big heart and positivity she displayed on screen right to the end of her time in the Tardis. She stopped to sign copies of The Big Issue – with her face on the cover – for popular vendor Jon Gregg this week.

Jodie Whittaker Big Issue
Jodie Whittaker was cover star on the magazine as her final Doctor Who episode aired. Image: TillenDove

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Whittaker has been a strong supporter of The Big Issue for many years. She has always made time to speak to us throughout her time in Doctor Who, filmed a short video encouraging readers to subscribe to the magazine when our vendors were unable to sell on the streets during lockdown, and gave us a big, exclusive exit interview for our recent cover story. 

Now, thanks to Whittaker’s generosity, vendor Jon was able to sell signed copies of The Big Issue to delighted fans in London.

Back in 2018, Whittaker told us: “We have got a lovely man where I live. If I ever make it onto the cover, I will get it from him. He is so nice. I didn’t know he knew who I was [he did!]. He is a lovely, positive, very upbeat man.”

And in 2020 she told us: “It’s such a brilliant magazine that I buy every week and I’ve never felt shortchanged. The Big Issue is absolutely riddled with interesting content, always coming from an angle I am fascinated by, and you are always talking about people I am interested in.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Jodie Whittaker with Big Issue
Jodie Whittaker poses with The Big Issue in 2018

“Also, buying this magazine means you are stopping and having a conversation. If you are meeting someone you wouldn’t have had a chat with before by buying this magazine, it can only be a great thing.”

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

On screen, viewers were stunned to see Whittaker’s Doctor regenerate into David Tennant (again) on Sunday night. And with another friend of The Big Issue, Ncuti Gatwa, set to make his debut on the show next Christmas after a series of special episodes to mark the show’s 60th anniversary, the future is bright.

As a great Doctor once said, travel hopefully, Jodie…

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Never miss an issue

Take advantage of our special subscription offer. Subscribe from just £9.99 and never miss an issue.

Recommended for you

View all
Here's how to make your voice heard against the DWP's disability benefit cuts
a disability rights poster
Disability benefits

Here's how to make your voice heard against the DWP's disability benefit cuts

Labour's billion pound gamble: Can community energy deliver the affordable power the UK needs?
A person on a bile rides down a street
Community energy

Labour's billion pound gamble: Can community energy deliver the affordable power the UK needs?

Stanley Tucci, Stephen Fry, Rosie Jones and more hit out over benefit cuts: 'It breaks my heart'
Stephen Fry, Stanley Tucci and Rosie Jones are among those calling for Labour to scrap its plans for disability benefit cuts
Disability benefits

Stanley Tucci, Stephen Fry, Rosie Jones and more hit out over benefit cuts: 'It breaks my heart'

Poet laureate Simon Armitage on his years as a probation officer – and the redemptive power of poetry
Probation service

Poet laureate Simon Armitage on his years as a probation officer – and the redemptive power of poetry

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know

Support our vendors with a subscription

For each subscription to the magazine, we’ll provide a vendor with a reusable water bottle, making it easier for them to access cold water on hot days.