Beloved Doctor Who star Billie Piper has made her big return!
The actress, who starred as The Doctor’s companion Rose Tyler in 2005 and 2006, came back for the show’s Season 14 finale, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. According to the publication, the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, regenerated into the Sixteenth Doctor, portrayed by Piper, during the finale. This means that Piper will likely be The Doctor in the next season of Doctor Who.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Piper acknowledged that she was filming again for Doctor Who in a May 2025 BCC press release.
“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,” stated Piper.
The Season 14 finale also marked the end of Gatwa’s tenure as the show’s time-traveling protagonist, who has been played by several actors since the show’s first season in 1963. Entertainment Weekly reported that Gatwa spoke about his departure from the series for theDoctor Who YouTube channel. He said he was aware he had limited time playing The Doctor, like all the other actors who take on the iconic role. As fans are aware, the character often regenerates with a brand-new face.
“You know it’s going to happen when you get cast. You’re like, ‘I’m gonna have to hand this baton over. One day, it’s all going to come to an end.’ It’s been bittersweet, as I can imagine it’s been for all Doctors,” said Gatwa.
The actor also said that it was ” a role that demands a lot of you, physically and emotionally and mentally.”
“The actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor. Unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life, but my knees are telling me it’s time,” continued Gatwa in the video.
Piper spoke about her time filming as Rose in an October 2022 interview with Big Finish Productions. She said she enjoyed that Rose is “willful” and brave.
“She can be really quite confrontational and I really enjoy that. I admire that,” said Piper during the interview.
Piper also said becoming a star on Doctor Who was “life-changing.”
