Doctor Who will allegedly continue its run beyond where things left off during the 2025 TV schedule, though we're still waiting on any concrete details regarding how and what the plan will be moving forward. It remains unclear if Disney will continue to partner with The BBC or it will find a home elsewhere, though fans seem to be more concerned with prying what details they can about the path ahead from the alleged new Doctor portrayer, Billie Piper.
Piper took the stage with fellow Who vet Christopher Eccleston at Florida Supercon, and it didn't take long for a fan to ask about Ncuti Gatwa's regeneration scene in which she appeared as his replacement. We still don't know for certain what is going on, either story-wise or behind the scenes, and the actress made certain not to let her words get her in trouble by sharing more than desired regarding what showrunner Russell T. Davies and other creatives have in store:
Oh, this is such a minefield, I have to really engage with how I answer this. Ok, all I can say is, I was approached very last-minute, and I can’t talk about in what capacity, but I found it very emotional to film, and I think it’s a really great ending.
I don't think Billie Piper revealed anything that will land her in hot water with RTD or anyone at Doctor Who, but it does give us some insight into the timeline of how this came to be. Based on this, I would speculate the rumors about Ncuti Gatwa's exit being abrupt are accurate, and that there might've been more to it than the physical demand of the role at play. We do know Gatwa was on the record previously to head up a third season (via Reddit), which matches up with the reshoots happening very last-minute in February 2025, so that the ending could be changed in time.
Gatwa's exit might've been thrown together in a slapdash manner, but overall, fans were pretty ecstatic to see the twist. Billie Piper confirmed that she, too, appreciated how it all played out, and that all her appearances in Doctor Who these days seem to be handled in secret:
I just found it quite moving…. and it was really fun to film, because it had such a cloak-and-dagger feeling about getting it made. So, yeah, I have to lie a lot about anything to do with Doctor Who, it seems.
It's worth noting that rumors about Piper taking the role of The Doctor leaked out ahead of the reveal, but many fans dismissed it as sounding too wild to believe. I guess going forward, that's a solid tip for showrunners to keep their biggest secrets under wraps?
There are so many questions surrounding Doctor Who at present, including where the story is headed now that The Doctor has a face that resembles his former companion, Rose Tyler. This incident is not entirely without precedent, as actor Peter Capaldi previously had a guest-starring role before coming into the franchise to play The Doctor.
Before we find out what's next for Doctor Who, The BBC first needs to announce when a new season will be happening. At present, it seems the flagship show is in a holding pattern until the spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, airs later on in 2025. Perhaps a gap year is giving Russell T. Davies the time to figure out why The Doctor has Rose's face, and give us more stories to be excited about.
That's my hope, anyway, as I'm eager to see Doctor Who return with new episodes at some point in the future. That's especially true with a bulk of the library recently being dropped by a major streamer, leaving longtime fans in the United States only limited ways to enjoy the show.
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