The latest Doctor Who episode, The Reality War, ended with a shocking regeneration scene. Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor sacrificed himself to save Poppy, his and Belinda’s daughter from an alternate reality.
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In a big twist, Billie Piper appeared after the regeneration. Piper, who once played the companion Rose alongside the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, showed up in a role that would usually mean she’s the new Doctor. But there are signs this might not be true.
The episode credits didn’t list Piper as “The Doctor” – something that usually happens when a new Doctor is introduced. This has fans thinking she might be playing Rose again, possibly through a body swap with the Doctor, or that something else entirely is going on.
Now, while promoting his new play Born With Teeth, Gatwa revealed that even he doesn’t know who the next Doctor is – adding to the idea that it might not be Piper.
I’ve finished playing Doctor Who, we all saw the gold sparkle – or did we, I don’t know? I just don’t know who the next Doctor Who is, but it’s certainly not me.
When pressed on whether he had finished playing the Doctor, he told Nick Robinson on the Today programme
I don’t know what Billie Piper is doing. I have just read about it, and I don’t know what it’s about. It’s a completely mad idea. I don’t think she is the Doctor. I think it’s kind of just a hand grenade thrown into the final episode to try and go, ‘Whoa, what’s this?’ And then it’s almost like, ‘Get out of that.
Gatwa isn’t the only former Doctor who doesn’t know what’s going on with Piper’s return. Fifth Doctor star Peter Davison told Starburst magazine
Right now, the big question isn’t just who will play the Sixteenth Doctor, but also if and when Doctor Who will be back on our screens.
There’s still no official decision on whether the BBC’s co-production deal with Disney for the series will be renewed, and if it’s not, what that could mean for the show’s future.
Still, while fans wait, they do have a new spin-off show, The War Between the Land and the Sea, to look forward to.
Source: RadioTimes