Doctor Who season 15 finale: Is Billie Piper the new Doctor?
If you are coming out of the Doctor Who season 15 finale with a ton of questions, let’s just say we more than understand!
For now, here is what can be said with a measure of certainty. First and foremost, Ncuti Gatwa is no longer the Doctor — we saw his regeneration and with that, we tend to think that it will stick. The folks at BBC One, after all, have already confirmed that … but here is where things get tricky. Is Billie Piper actually playing the new Doctor?
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After all, Piper is known for being Rose Tyler many years ago on Doctor Who and was much-loved in that role. Her being the Sixteenth Doctor could be fun, but where things get tricky is that in the credits for “The Reality War,” her role was not necessarily confirmed with 100% confidence.
Meanwhile, neither statement that came out following the finale says anything to add further clarity to the subject. Here is what showrunner Russell T. Davies had to say:
“Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she’s done it again! It’s an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told. After 62 years, the Doctor’s adventures are only just beginning!”
Meanwhile, Piper added the following:
“It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse, but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
In the end we do think it was smart for the producers to do all of this as a cliffhanger, mostly because the future of the franchise remains unclear. It is a way to lean into nostalgia in order to get the show back for more … but how that happens could be a lingering mystery for a while.
Related – See more now about Gatwa’s departure from Doctor Who
Do you think that Billie Piper might actually be the next star of Doctor Who?
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