Why Billie Piper is NOT The Real Sixteenth Doctor

Unless you've been hiding under a TARDIS-shaped rock recently, you'll be aware of a big surprise that came about in the latest series finale of Doctor Who. Yes, the episode entitled The Reality War Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor make a premature exit as he regenerated into...wait for it...Billie Piper! Or someone who looked a lot like her.

There's obviously a lot of rumours flying around online since this reveal, with one being the likely answer to how this came about, but it feels that there is only one way that this big twist is going to go. So stick with us as we dive into it and explain.

Let's Get Up To Speed...

It was as the latest finale was coming to a close that it became clear The Doctor didn't remember that he had a daughter who was born in The Rani's wish world. With the help of Ruby Sunday, the Time Lord decided to rush back to the TARDIS and help to shift the timeline slightly with some help from his own regeneration energy.

The Thirteenth Doctor popped up for a moment to try and stop him, but ultimately our latest Doctor went ahead with driving a blast of regeneration energy into the TARDIS console.

This allowed Poppy to live, but this version of reality had her as Belinda's child, and not The Doctor's. He saved Poppy, but ultimatey he was left without a daughter and with his body dying.

This brought about the most joyful and smiley regeneration in the history of the show. With that, The Doctor regenerated and we got someone who looked a lot like Billie Piper's Rose Tyler.

Now, Billie Piper as our Sixteenth Doctor? An interesting notion. But, it's not going to be the case, guys. Why? I'm glad you asked. There's a big reason and it's pretty obvious.

She's Our Rose Tyler

That's simply it. Billie Piper has already solidified herself in Doctor Who history with a specific legacy. The legacy of being the show's first companion of the show's revival and the one who left a lasting imprint on the hearts of both the Ninth and Tenth Doctors.

To bring Billie Piper as THE DOCTOR?! It cheapens the effect of having her as Rose Tyler. Yes, David Tennant came back as the Fourteenth Doctor, but he was effectively playing the same role, just with more experience. And yes, Piper has also played The Moment, but the way it was played was plausible for her return.

Having Piper in the form of her old character's love interest? At least long term? It doesn't really land well when you think about it.

So...What's The Point?

What actually is the point then? Why, of all people, bring Billie Piper into the mix? Well, it can be answered by everything that has been going on behind the scenes.

Doctor Who's partnership with Disney is now due to end. The show had two seasons initially and then it was a case of renewal if Disney was happy with the partnership, or parting ways.

Then there's also Ncuti Gatwa's decision to leave on top of that. This latest run was actually due to end it's run with a usual cliffhanger leaving us wanting more. Alas, it has been reported that Gatwa was growing impatient with the show's lack of renewal for a new season and Hollywood calling out to him. This had the show's lead actor causing a lot of The Reality War to be reshot, which led to Piper's involvement.

Effectively, showrunner Russell T. Davies had his main man wanting to jump ship and had Disney unsure of wanting to keep Doctor Who in it's catalogue. If you were in Davies' shoes, what would you do?

It is said that there was a version of the ending where we didn't actually see who Fifteen regenerated into, leaving everything open ended. But clearly, Davies knew, like all of us, that it wouldn't leave fans best pleased.

The next best thing? Leave them with a regeneration that no one would see coming and echo what we saw in The Power of The Doctor with Jodie Whittaker's regeneration into a second David Tennant Doctor.

This is a case of Piper being brought back as a last minute effort to keep fans interested given the sudden exit of Gatwa, given the show likely didn't have enough time to find a proper replacement. It is also possibly enough for fans to want answers with a new season, and maybe even enough for Disney to renew their deal.

What's Next?

It seems only logical for what is going to happen next given what we've said. Piper's Rose Tyler is too iconic. She can't be a long-term Doctor. It's something that will turn fans on Davies unfortunately.

With this in mind, it can only be correct for Piper to be a short-term solution. A Fourteenth Doctor situation. A 60th Anniversary specials sequel if you will. The actress has been brought back to both act as a nod to the twenty years since New Who started, and also guide us into the ACTUAL next long-term Time Lord. or Time Lady. Whichever you prefer.

The likely scenario we're going to get? Here's out take on it.

Things will line up with the main theory we've all seen online. Fifteen blasting his regeneration energy into the TARDIS console caused some kind of connection, and he took in power from the TARDIS and the time vortex, including something from 2005's The Parting of Ways. Remember, Rose Tyler looked into the time vortex via the TARDIS console and became the Bad Wolf. She was last person to look into it and share a connection with it. So since Fifteen is the next person to do so, and moments later he turned into, basically, a Rose Tyler clone, it looks like this will be the answer to the recognisable look.

We can likely expect Piper to appear in a special of some sort (likely a Christmas installment for 2026, maybe a two-parter). This will see a regeneration from Piper's "Bad Wolf Doctor" (boy, I hope that catches on) into our new Time Lord now that Davies has bought himself time to properly search for a replacement.

There have been talks online of Tennant returning once again to pair up with Piper for her (expected) short stint, but...I love Tennant, but let's bench any comebacks from him for a while now.

So there you have it. Given all the evidence, it is expected that Piper is here for a short, fun stint given the recent circumstances, and that she'll bridge Gatwa's untimely exit and the new Doctor for the next era of the show.

Doctor Who streams on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ worldwide.