Confused Doctor Who fans won’t get any straightforward answers from Billie Piper, who seems just as uncertain about the show’s future as anyone. Piper made an appearance at Florida Supercon earlier this month, and of course, she addressed questions about her surprise appearance in the finale of Doctor Who Season 15, and her future in the franchise. To some extent, she had to answer carefully to avoid spoilers, but it sounds like Piper might not have all the answers herself. On top of that, she revealed that her involvement in the finale was “very last-minute,” which seems to support the rumors that Ncuti Gatwa left his role as The Doctor abruptly, and the production is scrambling to make a new plan.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Piper appeared on a Supercon panel with her fellow Doctor Who alum Chris Eccleston, and she fielded a question from the audience about how her role in the Season 15 finale came about, and how she felt about it personally. “This is such a minefield – I have to really engage with how I answer this,” she began. 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.”
“As in, I just found it quite moving, and it was really fun to film because it had such a sort of cloak and dagger feeling about getting it made,” Piper elaborated. “So, yeah, I have to lie a lot about anything to do with Doctor Who, it seems.”
Piper played Rose Tyler, the very first companion in Doctor Who‘s revival era, first traveling with the Ninth Doctor, Eccleston, then later with the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. She reprised the role for a few reunions and cameos over the years, but fans did not expect her to turn up in the Season 15 finale. When the Fifteen Doctor (Gatwa) unexpected regenerated, they emerged looking like Piper, leaving fans on a cliffhanger with a storm of questions.
To make matters worse, Doctor Who has been struggling in ratings recently, and rumors of an impending cancellation have grown in the last few months. To some extent, those have been banked by public comments from BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell, who said earlier this month that he and the company are “committed” to Doctor Who. Still, the show’s future is uncertain, and work on the next season is not moving forward as far as fans are aware right now.
Hopefully, Piper has some idea of what’s coming, and she withheld it from fans at Supercon to preserve the surprise for later. The last two seasons of Doctor Who are streaming on Disney+ in the U.S. There’s no word on when more episodes might be coming.
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
