Jodie Whittaker makes her official debut as the first female Doctor when “Doctor Who” returns on Sunday, but already US audiences are struggling to understand her Northern English accent.
In her first American late-night show appearance, the 36-year-old actress stopped by “The Late Show” on Wednesday to chat with Stephen Colbert, and while the host understood her loud and clear, things were a little more difficult for the subtitle writer.
When Colbert asked the “Broadchurch” star whereabouts she is from in England, Whittaker replied, “I am from Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire.” But what should have been a simple and uneventful answer soon went viral when fans noticed the unusual on-screen captions.
Instead of “Huddersfield,” the subtitles read “Hoodezfield,” which sort of sounds like an alien planet from “Doctor Who”.
One eagle-eyed viewer spotted the gaffe, and it soon made the rounds on Twitter, much to the amusement of the Brits.
No way. NO WAY! HOODEZFIELD?! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Serious but. Huddersfield should consider changing its name to this.
— Lloyd Butler
(@Lloyd_Butler_) October 4, 2018
Whittaker joked with Colbert that her Yorkshire accent is “really well hidden” and that “you can’t tell at all” where she is from. “It’s always described as a ‘broad’ Yorkshire accent,” Colbert said. “There are no ‘narrow’ Yorkshire accents.”
The new “Doctor Who” lead revealed that she finds it funny when people ask if she can tone her accent down. “No. No, I can’t,” she laughed.
RELATED: Jodie Whittaker On Fan Reaction To Becoming First-Ever Female ‘Doctor Who’
She also talked about becoming the first ever female Doctor and what that means to her. “What is wonderful is this realization that a woman can be a Doctor… and I may be playing an alien with two hearts but I am qualified, even though I’m a woman.
“[Doctor Who] is a show about inclusivity, it’s a show that celebrates regeneration and change,” she added. “And the wonderful thing for me about being the first is that I won’t be the last because it doesn’t change the rules of this amazing program that’s been going for so long.”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on Global; you can also watch full episodes online.
