Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker fought for the same salary as Peter Capaldi

It seems even time-travelling aliens have to fight for equal pay – and, in the case of the Doctor, the right to earn as much as yourself.

Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker has confirmed that she demanded the same salary as Peter Capaldi, whom she replaced in the title role last year.

"The notion [of equal pay] should be supported," Whittaker told reporters at the National Television Awards on Tuesday. "It's a bit of a shock that it's a surprise to everyone that it should be supported!"

The 35-year-old added: "I know I do not speak just on behalf of the women here, I speak on behalf of the men and the women."

Whittaker is the fourteenth actor to play the hero of the long-running BBC sci-fi series, and the first woman in the role. 

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Her comments follow a widespread outcry over a gender pay gap within the corporation, revealed last year when the BBC was forced to disclose how much it paid its highest earners.

Earlier this month, BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie resigned over the issue, accusing the corporation of “secretive and illegal” pay practices, and claiming that it routinely underpaid female talent. 

Capaldi, 59, was last year listed as earning between ￡200,000 and ￡250,000. Whittaker is now set to earn a salary in the same pay bracket.

BBC Director-General Tony Hall confirmed last July that Whittaker would earn as much as her predecessor, telling the Evening Standard: “There is parity for the same amount of work...“And I do think it is time for [the Doctor] to be a woman.” He has said he aims to eliminate the corporation's pay gap problem by 2020.