She was later praised for her roles in the cult science fiction film Attack the Block (2011) and the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You" (2011).

In 2007, she stood in at short notice for an unwell Carey Mulligan in the Royal Court's production of The Seagull, and appeared in a fundraising play at the Almeida Theatre.

Her radio credits at that time included a 2008 adaptation of Blinded by the Sun by Stephen Poliakoff[8] and playing Lydia Bennett in Unseen Austen, an original drama by Judith French.

[11] In the early 2010s, Whittaker co-starred in the anthology series Accused (2010) and the adaptation of Sarah Waters's novel The Night Watch, followed by the role of Ffion in the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You".

In film, she starred in the cult science fiction comedy horror Attack the Block, as well as in projects like The Kid (2010), One Day (2011), Hello Carter (2013) and Good Vibrations (2013).

[31] Whittaker generally received praise for her performance,[32][33][34][35][36] though some felt the Thirteenth Doctor did little to combat social and political injustices.

[39] In February 2023, a press release indicated that Whittaker was filming for a six-part Australian drama series One Night for Paramount+.

[43] In April 2023, it was announced that she would star alongside Bella Ramsey and Siobhan Finneran in the second series of the BBC prison drama Time and that filming would start in the spring of 2023 in and around Liverpool.

[48] It was announced on January 30 2025 that Whittaker and Suranne Jones would star in Frauds, a 6-part ITV heist series about 2 confidence women.

[49] Whittaker met Christian Contreras, a Belizean-American actor and writer, in drama school, and they married in Arizona in 2008.