Billie Piper seems to know a bit more about Doctor Who than us, as you’d expect. And she’s sort of clarified her role in the show too. Spoilers for the end of the last series of Doctor Who are here. You know the spoilers, but we have to tag ’em anyway. It’s only right. In ... Doctor Who | Billie Piper on Doctor Who future, and where she fits in
Billie Piper seems to know a bit more about Doctor Who than us, as you’d expect. And she’s sort of clarified her role in the show too.
Spoilers for the end of the last series of Doctor Who are here. You know the spoilers, but we have to tag ’em anyway. It’s only right.
In the absence of official fresh information, there’s still rampant speculation as to the future of Doctor Who, as the BBC continues its quest for a new production partner on the show.
With Disney ending its deal to fund the programme and the associated Whoniverse, the Doctor is a bit in limbo at the moment, with the end of last year’s series seeing Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerate into, well, Billie Piper.
It’s fairly well known that this wasn’t the original ending, and Gatwa’s decision to depart the show prompted a bit of a rewrite. Then, a planned Christmas special this year has been yanked, leaving Billie Piper frozen in time, with nobody really buying that she’s the new Doctor. Billie Piper included.
Still, appearing at the For The Love Of Fantasy & Sci-Fi convention over the weekend, Piper has confirmed – for those still in doubt – that she’s not the Doctor. “I am not the next Doctor. I am Rose Tyler in hiatus”, she told the crowd, admitting that her answer was deliberately cryptic, and that she wasn’t currently in the midst of filming. It does sound like she knows, narratively at least, what the plan is for her role. “I’m sweating. I hate this”, she added, presumably of the secrets she’s having to keep.
In terms of the future of Doctor Who, she’s very much in line with the view that it absolutely has one. Few are in doubt about that either, as the BBC seeks the new partnership it needs to power up the TARDIS again. “I think you’ve all got to be very patient because it’ll be worth it when it comes”, she said.
On the BBC side, its processes are ongoing, and thus until decisions have been made, we’re not likely to hear more. Personally, I was watching Earthshock on iPlayer again at the weekend and having a great time. The Whoniverse, with a few exceptions, remains available there, and there’s much to munch on while we wait for more news…
