After That Shocking Doctor Who Return, We Want This Other Star to Come Back After 15 Years

Billie Piper has officially returned to Doctor Who after 12 years, and while her return has caused some confusion, this could open the door for another star to reprise her role. Doctor Who series 15’s finale, “The Reality War,” marked the dramatic ending of Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the 15th Doctor. He gave up his current incarnation to bring Belinda Chandra’s (Varada Sethu) daughter, Poppy, back to life, leading to his regeneration, but this was no typical passing of the baton from actor to actor, as it was Doctor Who veteran Billie Piper who replaced Gatwa.

“The Reality War’s” credits sequence did not credit Billie Piper as the new Doctor, which has spurred speculation that she’ll be playing someone entirely different. Piper previously appeared in Doctor Who as Rose Tyler, the companion to Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s Doctors in 2005 and 2006, and she also made cameo appearances in 2008 and 2010. If Piper is returning to Doctor Who as some version of Rose Tyler — thanks to Russell T. Davis’ timey-wimey stuff — the opportunity may be created for even more actors from Doctor Who history to return, and one is particularly exciting.

Billie Piper’s Appearance Makes Jackie Tyler’s Doctor Who Return More Likely

Aside from her appearance as the sentient weapon, the Moment, in 2013’s “The Day of the Doctor,” the series’ 50th anniversary special, Billie Piper last appeared in Doctor Who as Rose Tyler in 2010. This was in a brief scene bidding farewell to David Tennant’s 10th Doctor, in which Rose appeared with her mother, Camille Coduri’s Jackie Tyler, on New Year’s Day, 2005. Jackie Tyler was an ever-present supporting character in Rose’s narrative, so Piper’s return to the series could also signal Coduri reprising her fan-favorite role.

Best known for roles in Him & Her, King Ralph, Big Boys, and more, Camille Coduri is a fantastic comedy actor who was an inspired casting choice for Rose Tyler’s mother in Doctor Who. Despite returning as showrunner in 2023, Russell T. Davies hasn’t really paid too much homage to his previous run on the show, which is widely considered to be the strongest era of the show since its revival. Bringing back Billie Piper has changed this, so it would be great to see Camille Coduri return to reunite with her on-screen daughter.

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Prior to her brief cameo in 2010’s “The End of Time,” Jackie Tyler previously appeared alongside Rose in 2008’s series 4 double-finale, “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End.” This caught up with the Tyler family on their alternate world, Pete’s World, where they all became trapped after the emotional and intense series 2 finale, “Doomsday.” Piper hasn’t yet been confirmed to be returning as Rose Tyler, and she may, indeed, be the official 16th Doctor, but, either way, it would make sense for Jackie Tyler to be paid a visit.

Why Jackie Tyler’s Doctor Who Return Would Make Sense, Even If Billie Piper Isn’t Rose

There are many possible explanations for Billie Piper’s return to Doctor Who after 12 years, and each of them would leave the door open for Camille Coduri to also reappear as Jackie Tyler. If Piper is portraying the 16th Doctor, which has been disputed, she would remember Jackie as a friend and perhaps track her down to discuss the weird face-change. Over the course of two seasons, Jackie became a close ally to the Doctor, and she even experienced his regeneration, so this could create a fantastic and funny moment featuring Piper and Coduri.

Alternately, Piper could have returned as a version of Rose Tyler, somehow replacing the Doctor during his regeneration. If this is the case, there’s no doubt she’d want to find her mother, perhaps seeking guidance or aid, though it’s unclear how she would cross the universal boundaries again. It’s also possible that Piper is returning to Doctor Who as someone completely different, perhaps someone we haven’t met before, and even this would constitute an appearance of Coduri’s Jackie Tyler, as she would surely have some chosen words to say about a new character assuming the likeness of her daughter.

Doctor Who hasn’t yet been confirmed to be coming back after series 15’s finale, it’s the longest-running sci-fi series of all time, so it would be a mistake for it to disappear. This is especially true now that the monumental mystery of Billie Piper’s return has been created, as there is a great need for this unsolved ending to be addressed. Whether Billie Piper is back as Rose, the Moment, the Doctor, or someone else, it would be incredible to hear Jackie Tyler’s thoughts on this reintroduction, so we hope Camille Coduri comes back to Doctor Who, too.

Which characters from Russell T. Davies’ original run on Doctor Who do you want to see return? Let us know in the comments!