Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Doctor Who season finale "The Reality War." Stream it with a Disney+ subscription, and read at your own risk!
We knew there was a good chance that Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor would regenerate in the latest season finale for Doctor Who, given the hints the actor was moving on elsewhere. Of course, his appearing on Eurovision and the idea that the series would have a gap year in programming if Disney dissolved its partnership with The BBC gave us hope he'd hold on. However, now that we've seen his regeneration scene, his era is finished. It's now time for a new Doctor, and in a shocking turn of events, they're a very familiar face.
Doctor Who has been known to give The Doctor familiar faces from the past, and this is about the biggest one they could've done for the Sixteenth Doctor. Fans of the early seasons of the reboot rejoice, because we got about the best person imaginable playing the next Doctor in the series.
Billie Piper Was Revealed As The Sixteenth Doctor
When rumors first surfaced that Billie Piper was playing the Sixteenth Doctor, I burst out laughing. It was an absolutely ludicrous suggestion, and frankly, it sounded like straight-up fiction that it would happen. Sure, the bi-generation was an unexpected twist, but there's just no way a rumor like that could possibly be true, right?
Well, here I am, eating my words as Piper's shining face appeared after the Fifteenth Doctor used his regeneration energy to set the world right and save Belinda's daughter Poppy, whom he'd forgotten up until the very end of the season. The credits rolled shortly after the Sixteenth Doctor's new face appeared, so we have nothing to go on as to why this happened.
I do have just about a million questions, though. Obviously, The Doctor is going to realize that she looks like Rose Tyler, and should she ever run into David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor, who is still alive but retired according to Tennant, he's going to notice it too. Is it possible for The Doctor to fall in love with another version of themselves? I bet we're going to find out the answer to that in a future season.
Of course, we're still waiting on the official word that Doctor Who is returning for a new season. While I don't have a reason to doubt that it will, it seems as though The BBC will either have to go it alone or seek out a new partner to serve as co-producer based on the rumblings of Disney+ being dissatisfied with the viewership on the platform.
We could always be surprised, however, and maybe a beloved actress like Piper returning will convince the company to stick with it for just one more season.
For now, Doctor Who remains on Disney+, where all of Ncuti Gatwa's era is available to watch on streaming. It's certainly a shame to see him go, but I can't help but feel a bit optimistic for the road ahead with Billie Piper back in the franchise!
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