BBC forced to issue apology after livid Doctor Who fans complain about episode being 'spoiled'
The BBC issued a statement after livid Doctor Who fans complained about an episode being 'spoiled'.
Doctor Who's 15th season wrapped up last month and saw Ncuti Gatwa depart as the Time Lord in the series' finale.
Ncuti's character regenerated into Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in scenes that sent viewers into a meltdown.
However, some fans voiced concerns that the episode was ruined because the BBC News site published an article with the headline: 'Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Billie Piper as he leaves Doctor Who'.
A spoiler warning was then written underneath, but many felt the headline spoiled the ending.
Since then, the broadcaster has acknowledged the complaints and explained the reasoning behind the story.
The statement read: 'Some people contacted us to complain that the headline gave away the ending, spoiling this Doctor Who episode for them.
'Others requested that the BBC be more conscious of spoilers going forward, particularly in the use of headlines.
'Ncuti Gatwa's departure from the series had been widely speculated and many fans will have been aware that this was a possibility.
'The headline on the news homepage that evening referred to Ncuti Gatwa's departure because this was a legitimate entertainment news story in its own right, and it is not unusual that we would carry this type of story once a programme has been broadcast and the details in the public domain.'
It went on to reveal details of the regeneration was added in later on in the evening.
The statement continued: 'While we cannot account for everyone's viewing habits, we initially held back from headlining the announcement of Ncuti Gatwa's regeneration into Billie Piper.
'This extra detail was added later in the evening and our approach was consistent across the BBC site.
'BBC journalists are of course entitled to use their judgement to decide which stories to cover and the manner in which they are reported. We also want our headlines to be as informative as possible.
'Although every story is different, we have discussed your concerns on this occasion with senior editors and we will be mindful of your views for future coverage.'
When the episode aired, devout Whovians were not expecting the huge twist at the end when Ncuti's character regenerated into Rose amid his departure after just two series as woke storylines saw ratings for the much-loved show plunge.
Billie first starred as the companion to the ninth Doctor in 2005, playing Rose Tyler alongside Christopher Eccleston's Time Lord. She went onto star alongside David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor in the second series.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, fans were quick to share their reaction to Billie's shock comeback, with one even asking: ''Did my eyes actually deceive me?!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills forced to issue apology after HUGE blunder live on air
Scott Mills was forced to issue a live apology on Thursday morning after holding a full-blown 'funeral service' for Call The Midwife on his Radio 2 show. The Radio 2 presenter, 51, devoted an entire segment of his Breakfast Show to reports claiming the BBC series would come to an end after its fifteenth season next year. Treating the news with dramatic flair, Scott played sombre funeral-style music and even opened a phone line for devastated fans to call in and share their heartbreak. However things got awkward after he was told only moments later that the beloved drama hadn't been axed after all. Opening the segment, he declared: 'This morning, we woke up to the news that the show that never ends is indeed ending. I am sorry if this is how you are finding out.' As he confirmed the series in question was Call the Midwife, he added: 'It is ending, the fifteenth series will be the last one. 'We opened our phone lines to offer you support in these times because we've all laughed and cried and gasped at some of the births. Lots of you have been messaging in and using the helpline.' Listeners flooded the show with emotional voice notes, reminiscing about the programme's most memorable moments. One even expressed hope the series might return, to which Scott firmly replied: 'No it won't.' But just ten minutes later, Scott was forced to backtrack dramatically after being handed a statement from BBC bosses live on air. Sounding sheepish, he said: 'Good Morning, I may have done a bad thing here so I'm going to read this prepared statement from the BBC which I've just received.' He then read word-for-word a response from the BBC, which said: 'The BBC would like to reassure fans that Call The Midwife will remain at the heart of the BBC for years to come. 'As previously announced, there are two Christmas specials, a new series, a film and prequel series, before a sixteenth series in due course. Call the Midwife isn't going anywhere!' Originally, The Daily Star reported the long-running show was set to wrap after its fifteenth series in 2026. A source told the publication: 'After years of drama and countless births, Call The Midwife is coming to an end. 'The team have decided it's time to draw the show to a close and bow out. 'This is the last we'll see of these much-loved characters. Storylines will tie up a lot of loose ends.' But the BBC has made it clear the drama, which regularly draws in up to 11 million viewers and has won multiple awards, has no plans to hang up its midwifery bags just yet. And there's even more to look forward to. Earlier this year, The Sun revealed a prequel series is in the works, set during World War II and expected to explore the origins of some of the show's best-loved characters. The BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show is broadcast weekly on weekdays. Since Zoe Ball's departure in December 2024, Scott took over the show from January 2025, hosting in that exact weekday morning slot.
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Rod Stewart Glastonbury 2025 Legends Slot - How to watch on TV and iPlayer and listen on Radio and BBC Sounds
Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne are live from Worthy Farm on Sunday 29 June to introduce 2025's Glastonbury Festival legend, pop rock icon Rod Stewart. The British singer, songwriter and producer, who celebrated another number one album last year, will step out onto the Pyramid Stage for the first time in over 20 years, having previously headlined the festival in 2002. Watch Glastonbury on BBC iPlayer Listen to Glastonbury on BBC Sounds With his trademark raspy, soulful voice and armed with a huge back catalogue of hits, there's no doubt he will have the crowd singing along and swinging their hips to songs like Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? as he promises to entertain the Glastonbury teatime revellers. Watch on TV and iPlayer You can catch Rod's set on BBC One and iPlayer from 7.15pm on Sunday. Listen on Radio and BBC Sounds BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds will be live from Glastonbury for the Legends slot from 7pm. For more sets and highlights from Glastonbury, check out the Glastonbury collection on BBC Sounds. More: Glastonbury 2025 - How to watch on TV and BBC iPlayer and listen on Radio and BBC Sounds Follow For More
Scottish Sun
18 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Why Paula Yates was the secret force behind Live Aid and why Bob Geldof's phone call with a pop star helped raise £74m
The glowing praise for Paula is in stark contrast to the dark clouds that overshadowed her life in later years MAKING LIVE AID Why Paula Yates was the secret force behind Live Aid and why Bob Geldof's phone call with a pop star helped raise £74m Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE world will always remember 1985's Live Aid as the global fundraiser organised by Bob Geldof. But the truth was, he could not have pulled off the mega rock concert without his then-girlfriend, Paula Yates. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 9 Paula Yates was the secret force behind Live Aid 9 Paula and Bob Geldof began a romantic relationship in 1976 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Four decades on from the historic event, a new documentary reveals how the Boomtown Rats frontman tapped into his glamorous partner's music-industry contacts as he put together the incredible line-up. In Live Aid At 40, which airs next week, Sir Bob says it was really Paula who brought together the likes of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet to boost the appeal, which ended up raising about £150million for the starving in Ethiopia. She had access to big-name celebs through Channel 4's Eighties music show, The Tube, which she hosted with Jools Holland. My wife had befriended all these new guys with beautiful suits and hair. I asked who was on her show and she put Midge Ure on the phone Bob On the BBC Two programme Bob, who married Paula in 1986, recalls: 'All I had the power to do was write tunes. But the Boomtown Rats were not guaranteed to have hits any more. All these new guys had come along with beautiful suits and coiffed hair. 'And I understood this new thing because my wife had befriended all these people on the show that she was host of, The Tube. 'So I called Paula and I asked who was on the show that night and she said, 'Ultravox'. I said, 'Put Midge Ure on' and he just said, 'What do you want to do?'.' That was the moment which led to the cream of British music coming together on November 25, 1984, to record Band Aid's Do they Know It's Christmas?, which then led to Live Aid on July 13, 1985. 'Lot of male egos' The global event saw Madonna, U2, David Bowie, Elton John and Queen, among others, perform at simultaneous concerts at Wembley Stadium and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. They were broadcast worldwide in a bid to encourage donations to combat the Ethiopian famine. But fundraising to help victims was actually an idea dreamt up by Paula — who was just 25 — in the family home she shared with Bob, then 33, and their two-year-old daughter Fifi. Critics of Bob Geldof are WRONG - Band Aid saved my life and thousands more He can still vividly recall the moment they watched the evening news and witnessed Michael Buerk's now-famous 1984 news report on the humanitarian crisis. She couldn't stand watching the Ethiopia news. She put a bowl on the table with a note saying put £1 or £5 in here. I thought: That's not adequate Bob In the three-part documentary, Sir Bob says: 'My partner Paula couldn't stand watching it, she didn't want our child to watch it. She clearly associated what she was seeing with our child. She just grabbed her and went upstairs, but I stayed, transfixed. 'I came down the next morning and there was a green bowl on the table in the kitchen, and Paula had put a note in there saying, 'Anyone who comes to this house must put a pound or five pounds into this bowl'. I thought, 'That's not adequate'.' This saw Bob team up with Midge to write Do They Know It's Christmas?, with a little help from pals such as Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, who Bob pressured to sign up. 9 Paula hosted The Tube with Jools Holland Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 9 Paula and Bob join Prince Charles and Princess Diana to watch 1985 mega concert at Wembley Credit: Alamy In the documentary, Gary recalls: 'He came running in — his presence is huge, he takes over — and he said this report was from Ethiopia where the famine is huge and out of control and it broke my heart, and it broke Paula's heart.' Paula was also credited with holding things together when the Band Aid track was recorded — a day which could easily have been derailed by rivalries among the mostly male line-up of rock and pop superstars. As U2's Bono says in the programme: 'There was a lot of male egos in the room, not enough women.' Bringing together so many huge artists from the day — some of whom had sniped at one another in the past — could have ended with fighting and stars storming out. Gary says: 'Paula Yates was really the lovely glue, carrying her child around, Fifi, and their dog, Growler. They're a great family.' Midge adds: 'Everybody knew Paula, we all knew Bob through Paula. 'She was funny and witty and highly intelligent, and she kept everyone entertained, walking around chatting to them.' The glowing praise for the TV host is in stark contrast to the dark clouds that overshadowed her life in later years, when her marriage to Sir Bob imploded. After a decade together, they had wed in Las Vegas, with Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran as best man. They went on to have two more children — Peaches in 1989 and Pixie in 1990. But in 1995, Paula interviewed Michael Hutchence on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast and started a wild, drug-fuelled affair with the INXS frontman. 9 The jubilant Live Aid crowd Credit: Getty 9 Co-organiser Midge Ure performs on the day Credit: Getty 9 Bob at launch of Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical, in May Credit: Getty That finished her marriage to Bob and led to her having a child, Tiger Lily, with the singer in 1996. Then, in 1997, he took his own life in a Sydney hotel room aged 37. Three years later, Paula died aged 41 of a heroin overdose at her home in Notting Hill, London. 'Wonderful spirit' Tragically Peaches, her daughter with Sir Bob, died the same way, aged 25, in 2014. But with the passing of time, the new BBC documentary provides a clearer look back at the day the world was changed by the unlikely force of rock and pop music. Do They Know It's Christmas? was a huge success, shooting straight to No1 and staying there for five weeks, which saw it sell three million copies in the UK alone. Bob laughs as he recalls convincing Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government to effectively wave the VAT on sales. 'BOB THOUGHT QUEEN WERE ROCK DINOSAURS' QUEEN'S mesmerising set at Live Aid was one of the concert's most memorable performances – but it almost never happened. Bob Geldof did not rate Freddie Mercury and Co and had to be convinced to add them to the bill because he simply 'didn't want them'. Drummer Roger Taylor explained: 'Bob came from the post-punk explosion, so he had pretensions of being a bit punk, so he must have thought we were dinosaurs.' However, after 'packing a few bangers in our set', Queen managed to somehow crank up the volume at Wembley to unparalleled levels. Their epic contribution, which included the songs Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga and We Are the Champions, soon changed Bob's tune. Forty years on years on, he says: 'I just thought it was over-blown operatic, you know 'we use the studio as an instrument', oh f*** off. 'Subsequently, of course, we all have to admit that we thought the songs were great. 'So with age, we're allowed to admit it.' Then another huge boost came when musicians across the Atlantic decided to record their own fundraiser for Africa in the form of We Are The World on January 28, 1985. The track was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and the supergroup called themselves USA For Africa. In the documentary, Bob recalls receiving a surprise phone call from a man who was instrumental in the US project. He says: 'The phone rings and it's just, 'Is that Bob Geldof?'. It's this husky, gravelly voice that's very slow and I go, 'Yep, who's that?'. And he says, 'It's Harry Belafonte . . . and here's Michael'. 'He goes, 'Hi Bob!' and, like, Paula's sitting on the sofa and I'm saying to her, 'It's Michael Jackson!'. And she gets up and sort of runs around excitedly. Anyway, he says, 'Will you come out and help us?'.' Bob flew to LA, where he effectively gave a pep talk to stars including Michael and Lionel, plus Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner. As a result of these huge names, the single sold a staggering 20million copies. More importantly, it forged a trans-Atlantic drive to do more. That led to the launch of Live Aid in London and the US, which was also joined by performances around the world. It soon became apparent just what a success it had been. Interviewed on the night, the ever-positive Paula was asked if she had doubted Bob could pull off the feat. 'No, I never did,' she replied. 'Right from when he first decided, I thought that it would work. 'When they did the record, there was such a wonderful spirit around it. People did want to do it for free. So I thought the concert would happen.' Live Aid At 40: When Rock 'n' Roll Took On The World is on BBC Two at 9pm on July 6. 9 David Bowie at Live Aid Credit: Getty 9 The historic event birthed Band Aid's Do they Know It's Christmas? Credit: Alamy
