Surprisingly, Doctor Who Series 15 came to an end in May 2025 with the regeneration of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, but it seems this wasn’t the original plan for the long-running series’ most recent finale. Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa joined Doctor Who during the 60th anniversary specials in 2023, but, despite being teased for at least three full seasons, his Fifteenth Doctor only got two of nine episodes each. His regeneration into Billie Piper in “The Reality War” has caused confusion, but the original plan would have avoided this surprising turn of events.
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Ncuti Gatwa debuted in Doctor Who’s new season 1, but regenerated at the end of the new season 2. Many share the opinion that Russell T. Davies failed to repeat what made his previous run on the show, between 2005 and 2010, so popular. However, he did bring back his old trick of gradually building up a story thread throughout an entire season to pay off in the finale. Unfortunately, the fact that season 2’s original ending was altered means this thread didn’t get paid off, which ultimately hurt the return of one of Doctor Who’s original companions from 1963.
What Was Doctor Who Season 2’s Original Ending?
Since the finale of Doctor Who Season 2/Series 15, there has been growing speculation that this wasn’t the planned ending, as Gatwa’s regeneration came out of nowhere, and the entire storyline was complex and rushed. Now, the TikTok account of young actor Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps, who played Belinda Chandra’s (Varada Sethu) child, Poppy, has seemingly confirmed this wasn’t the original plan (via IGN). An image of the Doctor and Belinda dancing at a party was used during Doctor Who’s promo, and would have appeared in the finale prior to major reshoots after Gatwa decided to leave the show.
This seemed to legitimize rumors from insiders that emerged prior to the season’s premiere, which stated that the most recent season would have ended with the Doctor, Belinda, and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) dancing at a huge party, watched over by Susan Foreman. Susan was the Doctor’s original companion back in 1963, played by Carole Ann Ford, who was also the Doctor’s granddaughter. This would have set up Gatwa’s third season, but huge changes made in reshoots have seriously altered Susan’s new role in the series, and create even more mysteries for the show’s as-yet-unconfirmed future.
Carole Ann Ford’s Return to Doctor Who After 42 Years is Meaningless Now
Carole Ann Ford’s Susan Foreman was a regular companion to her grandfather, the Doctor, when he was portrayed by William Hartnell between 1963 and ’64. She made her last appearance in the series in the 1983 crossover event, “The Five Doctors,” but then went several decades unmentioned and unseen. Ford returned in visions experienced by the Doctor throughout season 2, which were clearly setting her up for a central role in the series finale, or to be teased for future adventures. However, the changing of season 2’s ending soured Ford’s return to Doctor Who after 42 years.
As teased by insiders and Mavanga-Phipps, Poppy was originally going to be confirmed to indeed by the daughter of the Doctor and Belinda Chandra from the alternate “Wish World” reality. This would have made Poppy Susan’s mother, which would have been an incredible story to explore in Doctor Who season 2’s finale and season 3. By removing this storyline, however, with Poppy instead being revealed not to be the daughter of the Doctor, Carole Ann Ford’s return to Doctor Who doesn’t make much sense anymore, and it’s unclear what resolution will come of her cameo appearances.
Doctor Who Has Many Mysteries Left to Solve (So We Hope it Continues)
Currently, there has been no confirmation regarding Doctor Who’s continuation, which leaves many loose ends unresolved with no clear sign of them being addressed. Despite positive reviews, Russell T. Davies’ new adventures in Doctor Who haven’t attained as much popularity in the court of public opinion, and the deal between Bad Wolf and Disney is rumored to be done. Some have speculated Doctor Who may be put on hiatus again, just as it was after Sylvester McCoy’s run as the Seventh Doctor in 1989, even though there are now many open-ended stories that deserve to be explained and continued.
Perhaps most notably, Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into none other than Billie Piper in “The Reality War.” Piper previously played Rose Tyler and the Moment in Doctor Who’s past seasons, but it seems she has now debuted as the Sixteenth Doctor – though the fact she wasn’t credited as such has led to further speculation. Viewers are desperate for this twist to be explained, and Carole Ann Ford’s return to the series deserves more attention, too, so there is still hope that Doctor Who will be renewed for a brand-new, and hopefully more popular, era.
Do you want to see Carole Ann Ford’s Susan Foreman officially return to Doctor Who? Let us know in the comments!
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