I’m Convinced One of the Biggest Twists in Doctor Who’s 62-Year History Is Never Going To Be Paid Off

One of the most surprising twists in the entire history of Doctor Who might never get the resolution it desperately needs. Doctor Who, the longest-running sci-fi series on TV, is celebrating its 62nd anniversary this year, but 2025 also included one of the show’s most controversial and shocking moments ever. We’ve just been given two years of Ncuti Gatwa’s adventures as the Fifteenth Doctor, but the future of the titular Time Lord and the show as a whole is uncertain after the finale of season 15, “The Reality War,” from May 2025 ended with a return nobody saw coming.

Doctor Who has included many twists and turns over the years, including some memorable moments such as Harold Saxon being outed as the Master, the Doctor being revealed to be the Timeless Child, and River Song being not only the Doctor’s wife, but also Amy Pond and Rory Williams’ daughter. Not all of these twists have been well-received, however, and perhaps Doctor Who’s biggest twist has proven to be one of the show’s most controversial. With the future of Doctor Who looking increasingly unclear, this twist might not see resolution for quite some time.

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Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor Regenerated Into Billie Piper In 2025

We were sad to see that Ncuti Gatwa only got two full seasons as the Fifteenth Doctor, culminating in his regeneration at the end of season 15 in “The Reality War.” The Doctor sacrificed this incarnation to save Belinda Chandra’s (Varada Sethu) daughter, but his regeneration was not like any we had previously seen. Instead of introducing a new actor as the Sixteenth Doctor, “The Reality War” ended with Billie Piper’s return to the series, but we’re still not sure if she will be officially playing the Sixteenth Doctor, or if there are some timey-wimey mysteries yet to explore.

Billie Piper originally debuted in Doctor Who back in 2005 as Rose Tyler, the companion to Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor. Collectively, they revitalized the series after a 16-year hiatus, bringing Doctor Who into the modern age, and this continued when Eccleston was replaced with David Tennant. Rose tragically became trapped on a parallel world in 2006’s “Doomsday,” but Piper has returned several times over the years, previously most recently as the Moment in the series’ 50th anniversary celebration, “The Day of the Doctor,” in 2013. Her new most recent return, however, has caused a lot of confusion.

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Her proclamation of, “Oh, hello,” to the viewer in “The Reality War” gave nothing away about her new role in Doctor Who. The Doctor has borrowed faces from past characters for their regenerations before – including Peter Capaldi, who played both the Twelve Doctor and Caecilius in 2008’s “The Fires of Pompeii.” This means it’s possible that Piper will indeed be playing the Sixteenth Doctor, but this hasn’t yet been confirmed, and it seems more likely that she won’t be officially playing the Doctor, but this all remains to be seen.

We Don’t Know When Billie Piper’s Doctor Who Return Will Be Explained

Currently, no future seasons of Doctor Who have yet been confirmed, leaving the cliffhanger ending of season 15 and Billie Piper’s return unresolved. While the show’s crew have suggested that the Doctor Who is not dead and will be coming back, we don’t know when this will be or what form this will take. Russell T. Davies’ return as showrunner did not reignite passion in the series in the way that many hoped, and the series struggled to regain its popularity and reputation that was arguably eviscerated by Chris Chibnall during Jodie Whittaker’s years as the Thirteenth Doctor.

Davies’ future with the series may be in jeopardy, as many viewers want to see Doctor Who undergo a complete creative shake-up and reshuffling. The entire show arguably needs a restructuring, which could mean that Billie Piper’s return may never be explained. The cliffhanger clearly didn’t build momentum as hoped, and could become one of those things that are just quickly moved on from and forgotten when – and if – the series returns. Doctor Who’s upcoming spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, may determine the future of the parent show, but we hope it returns to explain this mystery very soon.

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