Latest news with #RoseTyler
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tell us what you think about Billie Piper's return to Doctor Who
On Saturday evening during the latest season's finale, Doctor Who fans were surprised to see Billie Piper return to the show. After two series, Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor regenerated into a grinning Rose Tyler, who played the Doctor's companion, and greeted viewers with a 'oh Hello!' in the episode's final scene. We'd like to hear your thought on Billie Piper's return. What was your reaction and what would you like to see happen next? Are you hopeful Rose will be the next Doctor or do you think her comeback will be short-lived? You can tell us what you think about Billie Piper's return and what you hope to see happen next by filling in the form below. Please include as much detail as possible Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Doctor Who' finale sees Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor regenerate into a very familiar face, but what does it mean for the show?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Doctor is dead. Long live the Doctor! The era of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor came to a surprise end on Saturday night, as the Time Lord regenerated at the end of "Doctor Who" season 2 finale "The Reality War". Massive spoilers ahead if you're yet to watch "The Reality War". You have been warned!!! With Time Lord supervillain Omega dispatched without hassle, both Ranis out of the picture, and reality on the way to being restored, the Doctor gradually realises that not everything is back to normal. Poppy, his daughter with Belinda Chandra in the "Wish World" fantasy, has been erased from history, so the Time Lord decides to sacrifice himself by firing a ton of regeneration energy into the time Vortex to "jolt it one degree" — and hopefully bring her back. It goes without saying that his madcap scheme saves Poppy, as we learn that, in this rewritten timeline, the little girl was always the reason Belinda had been desperate to get back home. But arguably the biggest talking point of the episode — and, indeed, the season — is saved until last, as the Doctor regenerates into a very familiar face… That's Billie Piper, the star of "Secret Diary of a Call Girl", "I Hate Suzie", "Mansfield Park" and the upcoming second season of "Wednesday". Much more relevant right now, however, is the fact she played the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler, alongside Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor and David Tennant's Tenth Doctor during the phenomenally successful first two seasons of the show's 2005 reboot. She's set to become the second female incarnation of the Time Lord after Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor. Or the third if you count Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor — though the explanation of how she fits into the Doctor's history is a little bit timey-wimey. After two seasons of adventuring through space and time with the Doctor, Rose was trapped in the parallel universe where the Cybus Industries had created the Cybermen. She was presumed dead back home. The Tenth Doctor subsequently used the power of a supernova to make final contact through a tiny gap in the universe, "burning up a sun just to say goodbye". During their emotional farewell, Rose told the Doctor, "I love you". "Quite right, too," he replied. "And I suppose. If it's my last chance to say it. Rose Tyler…" And then the message cut off, leaving his answer a mystery — though he definitely shed a Time Lord tear or two back on the TARDIS. That wasn't the end of Rose Tyler's story, however, because she managed to find a way back to her home universe to help the Doctor fight the Daleks in series 4 finale "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End". The fact she was the first of the new "Who" companions gives Rose a special place in many "Who" fans' hearts, and Piper's performance set an extremely high bar for every subsequent TARDIS sidekick. But there was always the sense that this was one Doctor/companion relationship where the affection ran both ways. The "Meta-Crisis Doctor" — a quasi-regeneration of the Tenth Doctor who was essentially human — even settled down with Rose in the aforementioned alternative universe. Rose has a particularly deep connection to the TARDIS, having looked directly into its Time Vortex in series 1 finale "Bad Wolf"/"The Parting of the Ways". This briefly transformed her into the omnipotent Bad Wolf entity, but — despite effectively becoming a god — she'd absorbed too much energy for a human body to handle. The Ninth Doctor saved Rose by absorbing the Vortex energy into himself, triggering his regeneration into the Tenth Doctor. It was also no coincidence that Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney), daughter of later Tenth Doctor companion Donna, chose Tyler's name for herself after she came out as transgender — although all of Donna's recollections of her time in the TARDIS had been wiped, some residual memories had been passed down to her daughter. That's the big mystery, though it's not the first time the Doctor has regenerated into a familiar body. Most famously, David Tennant returned to play a Fourteenth Doctor who was the spitting image of the Tenth Doctor. Meanwhile, Sixth Doctor Colin Baker had previously played Commander Maxil in Fifth Doctor story "Arc of Infinity", and Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi had portrayed Caecilius in Tenth Doctor story "The Fires of Pompeii". (Capaldi also appeared in "Who" spin-off "Torchwood", though the Doctor was elsewhere during the events of "Children of Earth".) "Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she's done it again!" showrunner Russell T Davies teased after the big Billie Piper reveal. "It's an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told. After 62 years, the Doctor's adventures are only just beginning!" Another excellent question, and it would be unwise to make any assumptions — in fact, even "The Reality War"'s end titles have been engineered to add to the mystery. Although the show's post-regeneration credits have traditionally featured the line "And introducing [insert name] as the Doctor", here it simply says "And introducing Billie Piper". The omission of "as the Doctor" is unlikely to be accidental, suggesting that Davies is playing a very elaborate game with "Who" fandom. (It's also worth noting that Piper played a personification of an ancient Gallifreyan weapon of mass destruction called the Moment in the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor". In other words, there's a precedent for the star playing new and unexpected roles in "Doctor Who".) Another mystery! The BBC and Disney+ are yet to confirm if and when "Doctor Who" will return for a third season of its current iteration. Davies told Radio Times back in April that, "There's no decision until after season 2," so the powers-that-be are presumably waiting to see the latest episodes' viewing figures before making a call. Hopefully, they'll be influenced by the fact that we still don't know why the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, has been calling out to him. It's one hell of a loose end… In the meantime, it feels appropriate to leave the final word (for now) to the Doctor-elect: "I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there," said Piper. "So to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse. But who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see." Every episode of "Doctor Who" season 2 is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ in the US. All of Billie Piper's previous adventures in the TARDIS are currently available on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘An audible gasp': Doctor Who fans shocked by Billie Piper return
Nearly two decades since she first appeared on Doctor Who, Billie Piper made a spectacular return to the show on Saturday night, in the latest season's finale, The Reality War. After just two series, Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor regenerated into a grinning Piper, who greeted viewers with a 'oh Hello!' in the episode's final scene. The 42-year-old is best known to Doctor Who fans for playing the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler for two seasons, alongside Christopher Eccleston, when the show was reintroduced to TV screens in 2005 after a 16-year break. Her return came as a genuine shock to fans, many of whom were impressed that the BBC had managed to avoid leaks. But it has also left them with questions – will Billie Piper play the Doctor in the show's next series? And will there be a next series at all? In February the BBC denied reports the show faced the axe – but said any decision wouldn't be made until the latest series had been broadcast. Its statement pointed out half of the 26 episodes agreed with Disney+ still had not aired. Twenty-one out of those 26 have now aired, leaving a five-episode spinoff starring Russell Tovey, the trailer for which aired after Saturday's finale. TV critic and Doctor Who fan Scott Bryan, 35, said the reintroduction of Piper to the show came at a pivotal time for Doctor Who, amid speculation about its future. 'I think it felt a bit like, towards the end of the episode, a pitch to Disney to say: 'Hi, please renew us, we've got Billie Piper'.' 'Of course we've not had any confirmation about whether the Disney deal will be renewed, but also when or if these episodes will be aired. Nothing has been confirmed regarding filming. It's a moment in TV that has raised more questions than answers, but that's how Doctor Who works.' Concerns have been raised about falling viewing figures, which have struggled to rally since Russell T Davies' return in 2023. Two episodes during this series, which aired in May, got less than 3 million viewers – the lowest since the modern era began airing in 2005. The coordinator of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, Tony Jordan, 66, from Staffordshire, said he was concerned about the show's future. 'Obviously if it had been a stellar success then they would have recommissioned it already,' he said. 'It is a concern that it is not going straight back into production but, to be fair, there have been times since it came back in 2005 where you've had a year-long break.' Whether Piper will play her old character Rose, the Doctor or another character is also unclear. The credits, which showed Gatwa and Jodie Whittaker as 'the Doctor' did not do the same for Piper. Eccleston, her former Doctor, told an event in the US in 2021 he backed the idea of his former assistant taking on the role. He said: 'I was saying to somebody today in the green room that Russell T Davies is coming back, right, and who's going to be his Doctor? I think it should be Billie Piper actually. Catherine Tate's great but, I think there's your Doctor.' Dan McLaughlin, 30, who was watching the finale with fellow fans at a cinema in Manchester when Piper appeared said: 'There was an audible gasp when she came on, definitely. There was maybe about two or three cheers, and someone behind me swore.' Bryan said: 'It was a real surprise. I think Billie Piper is fantastic, she was one of the reasons why the 2005 series landed so well and led to 20 years of a hugely successful show and a reboot. But a surprise nonetheless.' He added: 'I'm intrigued by what they decide to do with her, and the fact that there's mysteries around the fact that we don't know whether she's playing the Doctor, it's a bit open ended.' McLaughlin said he felt 'deflated' by Piper's appearance as it indicated a lack of new ideas behind the show. He said: 'Billie Piper's amazing and Rose was a wonderful character, but you want something new now, you want to be excited. I loved [David] Tennant in the 60th anniversary special, but bringing back characters loses its novelty if you just keep on bringing the old ones back all the time. It's lacking in original ideas.'
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Doctor Who regenerates as Ncuti Gatwa leaves and Billie Piper returns
Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black actor to play the lead role in British sci-fi show Doctor Who, departed the series last week in a season finale that saw familiar face Billie Piper reappear in his place. The Doctor, who travels through time in what appears to be a blue police telephone box, has the ability to regenerate, allowing a number of actors to play the role since the series was first broadcast in 1963. In a surprise twist, Gatwa regenerated into the form of Billie Piper - who played one of the Doctor's companions in 2005 and 2006. "I've loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have," said Gatwa, 32, who was announced as the 14th Doctor three years ago. Piper, 42, won plaudits for her portrayal of Rose Tyler, an instrumental character in the show's successful 2005 revival after a 16-year hiatus. "To be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse," Piper said, referring to the Doctor's police box. Showrunner Russell T Davies said the "why and who" behind Piper's return to the show had yet to be told. "After 62 years, the Doctor's adventures are only just beginning!" Davies said.
The Age
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
News & current affairs
The actor, who previously played Rose Tyler, the sidekick to the ninth and 10th Doctors, will replace Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor.
