Latest news with #WishWorld
Pink Villa
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Doctor Who Season 2 Ending Explained: Has Billie Piper Returned and Why Did Ncuti Gatwa Exit?
The Doctor Who Season 2 finale, titled The Reality War, brought major changes to the Whoniverse. The mystery behind the destruction of Earth on May 24, 2025, was finally solved, but the episode ended with a big twist. The 15th Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, regenerates and is replaced by a familiar face: Billie Piper. This marks the end of Gatwa's time as the Doctor after just two seasons, which the actor confirmed in a behind-the-scenes video. "Yes, this is the end of my Doctor," Gatwa said. While it's a short run, his Doctor had just started to find his place. What Happened in The Reality War? The episode picks up from the Wish World cliffhanger, with Anita (Steph de Whalley) saving the Doctor from his fall. Now promoted to manager of the Time Hotel, Anita has access to a key that opens doors to any time. However, on May 24, 2025, the hotel is destabilized due to the Earth's collapse on that date. With Anita's help, the Doctor wakes UNIT from their Wish World illusion. They return to fight the Rani (Archie Panjabi), Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), and Conrad (Jonah Hauer-King). The Rani plans to revive Omega to create a new Gallifrey and a new Time Lord race, as the Master's destruction of Gallifrey left survivors infertile, except for the Doctor and Belinda's daughter, Poppy. Despite the contradiction, Poppy is proven real. The Doctor tasks Susan Triad (Susan Twist) with building a Zero Room to keep Belinda and Poppy safe. After Omega is defeated, Belinda and Poppy return, but Poppy vanishes and is forgotten by the Doctor and Belinda. Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) notices this and begs the Doctor to fix it. The 15th Doctor tries to shift time using his regeneration energy. Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor appears briefly to stop him, warning that it could destroy reality. "It could end everything," she says, but gives in when the 15th Doctor explains what's at stake. After believing Poppy is safe and realizing she was never his daughter, the 15th Doctor regenerates. The twist? His new face is Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler in earlier seasons. "Oh, hello," she says, recognizing her own face. The credits list Piper as Introducing Billie Piper, not as the Doctor. This raises questions. Is she really the 16th Doctor, or another Bad Wolf moment? Fans are speculating whether this is a glitch, a tease for something bigger, or just nostalgia.
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Doctor Who finale will 'shock and terrify' — what parents need to know
The Doctor Who finale will see a battle across the skies as the Unholy Trinity unleash a villainous plan for the universe. Showrunner Russell T Davies promised that the momentous episode will clear up the bi-generation that saw Ncuti Gatwa take over from David Tennant in the 60th anniversary special, while fans have been busy sharing their theories on what else viewers can expect from the finale. Last week's episode, Wish World, saw The Rani (Archie Panjabi) reveal her masterplan to resurrect Omega, one of the founders of Time Lord civilisation and a classic Doctor Who villain dating back to 1973. Russell T Davies has said of this week's finale: 'The Doctor is doomed, Belinda is lost, Ruby is trapped, UNIT is powerless, the Unholy Trinity rule supreme and the Underverse is rising…I can promise shocks, scares and revelations off the scale.' It sounds gripping, but with a monumental battle set to rage across the Whoniverse, parents of younger children may be wondering if The Reality War is suitable for family viewing. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. The Doctor Who season two finale, The Reality War, has been classified 12A, meaning it contains material that is not generally suitable for children under 12. A two-part finale of Wish World and The Reality War will be shown in cinemas across the UK on Saturday, but children younger than 12 can't attend a 12A cinema screening without an adult. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which assigns age ratings to films, TV and online content, advises: 'Adults planning to take a child under 12 to a 12A should consider whether the main feature is suitable for that child.' Some of the themes viewers can expect from content classified 12A include dangerous behaviour, moderate bad language, threat and horror, and violence. Empire of Death, the final episode of the previous season of Doctor Who, was also classified 12A due to moderate horror and fantasy threat. The BBFC explained its classification was due to 'scenes of horror and fantastical threat involving a creature and his sinister minions.' It added: 'Characters are possessed, making their voices distort and their faces turn sinister and emaciated. A person is transformed into crumbling sand. There are scenes of panic as terrified civilians flee a fantastical threat.' Brief references to the death of a child, teenage pregnancy and domestic abuse were also cited as reasons for the classification. Metro TV reporter and Doctor Who fan Asyia Iftikhar has watched every episode of season two, and is confident the finale is going to be a must-watch. Reviewing the penultimate episode, Wish World, she wrote: 'By far and away, Archie Panjabi's larger-than-life performance as The Rani proved one of the best aspects of the episode, which has infused new life into the finale. 'It was always a gamble to bring back a Classic Who character – but it has paid off handsomely so far. 'Not only is The Rani's dynamic with the Doctor beautifully explored but Archie's delivery is full to the brim with charm, wit and confidence. 'Essentially, the casting team hit the nail on the head by bringing Archie on board to resurrect The Rani, and I can't wait to see what more havoc she wreaks in the season finale.' Read Asyia's full review. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Doctor Who is undeniably appealing to children, after all, it's about an alien time traveller who has adventures in a spaceship shaped like a police box. But it's certainly not just for kids. Many fans grew up with various iterations of the Doctor and remain loyal to the show still, watching with their own families. The fantastical adventures are usually accompanied by clever humour and the tackling of weighty issues, making the show at times complex and more than a little frightening (Weeping Angels, we're looking at you). Which means that it's not always suitable viewing for younger children. The majority of episodes classified by the BBFC have been given a PG rating, meaning they 'should not unsettle a child aged eight or older'. But when it comes to deciding whether a child is old enough to watch, experts have told Metro that the final decision should lie with the parents. Parenting expert Sue Atkins said: 'It's less about a fixed age and more about knowing your child. Some 8-year-olds love the thrill of Doctor Who, while others might find the tension or monsters unsettling.' She added: 'When my own kids first got into Doctor Who, we made it a shared event – lights low, snacks ready, and always the agreement that they could turn it off if it got too intense. 'That gave them a sense of control, and us a chance to talk through the big ideas.' Sue suggests parents consider three things when deciding what TV shows are suitable for children to watch: Content: Check the age rating, but don't rely on it entirely. Watch a trailer or read a trusted review and look out for recurring themes – Doctor Who often includes suspense, moral dilemmas and sometimes loss or fear, even if it's wrapped in family-friendly storytelling. Check the age rating, but don't rely on it entirely. Watch a trailer or read a trusted review and look out for recurring themes – Doctor Who often includes suspense, moral dilemmas and sometimes loss or fear, even if it's wrapped in family-friendly storytelling. Context: Think about what your child has already handled. Have they seen similar shows and coped well, or do they struggle with nightmares or anxiety afterwards? Each child is unique – what excites one may overwhelm another. Think about what your child has already handled. Have they seen similar shows and coped well, or do they struggle with nightmares or anxiety afterwards? Each child is unique – what excites one may overwhelm another. Conversation: If you're unsure, watch together. Be on hand to press pause and talk through tricky scenes. Asking 'How did that make you feel?' or 'What would you have done?' helps kids process what they're seeing. Parenting coach Anisa Lewis agrees, telling Metro that this guidance applies to all TV shows, not just Doctor Who. 'My philosophy when it comes to age recommendations is that parents are best placed to decide what's suitable for their child,' she explains, adding that parents shouldn't feel pressured to allow their children to watch something just because their peers are. But as for what parents can expect from the Doctor Who finale, the show creators have been keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to plot. More Trending On scare-factor, however, director Alex Sanjiv Pillai has said this: 'For season two, the idea was to have a punchier, more dramatic, more tense, scary even, set of stories. 'The two-part finale, Wish World and The Reality War, is a culmination of all those things. We want to thrill, we want to shock, we want to absolutely terrify.' We can't wait to see the Doctor and The Rani go head-to-head, but maybe after the kids have gone to bed… View More » The Doctor Who finale, The Reality War, airs on Saturday, May 31, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Wynne Evans devastated as he confirms BBC axe: 'It breaks my heart' MORE: 11 years on, I'm still mourning comedy legend Rik Mayall MORE: BBC confirms huge Casualty news and it's the end of an era
STV News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- STV News
‘High-stakes showdown' for Ncuti Gatwa's Time Lord teased for Doctor Who finale
Ncuti Gatwa's Time Lord is set for a 'high-stakes showdown' in the finale of his second Doctor Who season, his co-star has said. The Reality War episode on Saturday will see the Doctor and the Time Lord villain, the Rani go head to head in a battle, which it is said will 'send shockwaves through the Whoniverse'. The Rani rejoined the series during the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest earlier this month, when Mrs Flood, played by EastEnders star Anita Dobson, bi-generated, splitting in half to reveal her true identity to be the renegade Time Lord, also portrayed by Archie Panjabi. Saturday's episode, Wish World, ended with Gatwa as the 15th Doctor falling from the sky, his companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) being taken away with guards, and Earth being destroyed. Emmy Award-winning The Good Wife star Panjabi, 52, said: 'In the finale, we see the Time Lord and the Time Lady go head-to-head in a high-stakes showdown. Who is going to win? Who will claim the victory? And you don't know what happens next.' She also said that 'Ncuti and Varada were rockstars, they made me feel like part of the gang from day one'. 'Playing that character is a blast, but being with such a warm and welcoming group made it something very special,' she also said. 'Anita has a wicked sense of humour and we got on like a house on fire. That relationship was effortless, and I hope the audience get to feel that chemistry on screen. 'When I met her, she gave me a big hug. I knew this was somebody I would not only connect with for the purposes of Doctor Who, but I would be in touch with for the rest of my life.' Panjabi also said she found it 'pure agony' to keep that she was playing the character, who first appeared in the BBC sci-fi series in 1985 in the Mark Of The Rani episode played by Howards' Way actress Kate O'Mara, from her family. She also said that the character is 'unforgettable', and she was 'keen to capture her essence, her strength, her presence, but also avoid mimicking' O'Mara. 'We're both different Ranis, but I did want to give that nod to her,' she said. 'The Rani is such an iconic character, and fans had been speculating and hoping for her return for a long time. Since Christmas 2023, I've been watching the show and seeing the excitement grow around Mrs Flood.' The Rani, from the same planet as the Doctor, Gallifrey, last appeared on screens in a 1993 BBC Children In Need special of the show called Dimensions In Time, which saw the Doctor's Tardis land in Albert Square for a crossover between Doctor Who and EastEnders. Sex Education and Barbie star Gatwa has played the Doctor since fellow Scottish actor David Tennant bi-generated in 2023. The latest season of Doctor Who comes to an end in The Reality War, which airs on Saturday at 6.50pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ncuti Gatwa's Time Lord set for 'high-stakes showdown' in Doctor Who finale
Ncuti Gatwa's Time Lord is set for a "high-stakes showdown" in the finale of his second Doctor Who season, his co-star has said. The Reality War episode on Saturday will see the Doctor and the Time Lord villain, the Rani go head to head in a battle, which it is said will "send shockwaves through the Whoniverse". The Rani rejoined the series during the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest earlier this month, when Mrs Flood, played by EastEnders star Anita Dobson, bi-generated, splitting in half to reveal her true identity to be the renegade Time Lord, also portrayed by Archie Panjabi. Saturday's episode, Wish World, ended with Gatwa as the 15th Doctor falling from the sky, his companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) being taken away with guards, and Earth being destroyed. Emmy Award-winning The Good Wife star Panjabi, 52, said: "In the finale, we see the Time Lord and the Time Lady go head-to-head in a high-stakes showdown. Who is going to win? Who will claim the victory? And you don't know what happens next." She also said that "Ncuti and Varada were rockstars, they made me feel like part of the gang from day one". "Playing that character is a blast, but being with such a warm and welcoming group made it something very special," she also said. "Anita has a wicked sense of humour and we got on like a house on fire. That relationship was effortless, and I hope the audience get to feel that chemistry on screen. "When I met her, she gave me a big hug. I knew this was somebody I would not only connect with for the purposes of Doctor Who, but I would be in touch with for the rest of my life." Panjabi also said she found it "pure agony" to keep that she was playing the character, who first appeared in the BBC sci-fi series in 1985 in the Mark Of The Rani episode played by Howards' Way actress Kate O'Mara, from her family. She also said that the character is "unforgettable", and she was "keen to capture her essence, her strength, her presence, but also avoid mimicking" O'Mara. "We're both different Ranis, but I did want to give that nod to her," she said. "The Rani is such an iconic character, and fans had been speculating and hoping for her return for a long time. Since Christmas 2023, I've been watching the show and seeing the excitement grow around Mrs Flood." The Rani, from the same planet as the Doctor, Gallifrey, last appeared on screens in a 1993 BBC Children In Need special of the show called Dimensions In Time, which saw the Doctor's Tardis land in Albert Square for a crossover between Doctor Who and EastEnders. Sex Education and Barbie star Gatwa has played the Doctor since fellow Scottish actor David Tennant bi-generated in 2023. The latest season of Doctor Who comes to an end in The Reality War, which airs on Saturday at 6.50pm on BBC One.
Gizmodo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Doctor Who' Plays a Weird Waiting Game for the Beginning of Its End
'Wish World' straddles a peculiar line between killing time and presenting a very weird world for the Doctor and Belinda to be trapped in. There are a lot of parallels between 'Wish World' and last year's 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday.' They are both, of course, penultimate episodes of their respective seasons of Doctor Who. They are also both built around the return of a classic Doctor Who villain, and paying off a mystery that had played out throughout their respective seasons. Unfortunately they also both share a pretty fatal parallel: they're both aimless waiting games that have little meat on their bones as they count down to a last minute cliffhanger reveal. 'Wish World' has even more of a problem than 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday,' however. That latter episode could at least hinge some tension and atmosphere on the fact that we didn't already know that the last moments were building up to the reveal of Sutekh's return (unless you read the rumors, that is). 'Wish World,' for the most part (more on that later), is building up to a dramatic moment its audience already knows while its main character doesn't: for the Doctor to encounter the returned Rani, and understand what that may mean. And that just makes it a very weird experience, even before you get to the mechanics of how Doctor Who is ticking down to that big reveal. The titular world of 'Wish World' is a contemporary Earth before its apparently fated obliteration, except it's a sideways version of it. Thanks to the help of a convenient magic baby the Rani goes and picks up in medieval Bavaria in the opening moments—the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son, which doesn't feel very Evil Science Villainess of her, especially when the baby just essentially starts letting her bend reality in whatever way she wants—noted Utter Bastard Conrad from 'Lucky Day' is the apparent benevolent dictator of the world, broadcasting from a bone palace upon high in London to decide the state of the world, weather, and creepily pleasant lives of everyone in it with a little help from this magic wunderkind. Those subjects include the Doctor and Belinda, who are now Mr. John Smith and his wife Belinda, living a retro-modern nuclear family dream with their baby daughter Poppy as Belinda revels in being a stay-at-home mom and Mr. Smith goes to work at UNIT, now a unified insurance team rather than a vanguard against alien threats. The creepy vibe of this overtly heteronormative existence is in part the point, it turns out: everyone makes very pointed acknowledgements about the role of women being good daughters, good wives, and then good mothers, and when 'Mr. Smith' passingly describes a male co-worker (none other than Colonel Ibrahim, blissfully unaware of who he's meant to be) as handsome, reality almost turns in on itself around him, as if the mere thought of something not cisgender or heterosexual is an affront to this world that Conrad has wished up for everyone. It turns out we can also add 'Hates Disabled People' to the Bumper List of Conrad's Shitty Bigotries, because aside from retrograde thoughts about women and queer people, his bigotry around disabled people has led to an underground society of disabled people who, because they are 'unseen' by Conrad in so much that he doesn't ever think or care about them, are practically invisible to the world around them… except Ruby Sunday, who's likewise unaffected by what's going on around her, letting her team up with Shirley and her friends in the disabled camp to start trying to figure out what's going on. Good job Conrad really sucks in some very specific ways! This is just about where 'Wish World' checks out of trying to tell much more of a story, which is a shame, because the weird creepy vibes are quite good, even if they also mean continued exposure to Conrad (again, no disrespect to Jonah Hauer-King, he's just incredibly good at playing a man with utterly rancid vibes). After 'Mr. Smith' has his brush with the curse of fatal compulsory heterosexuality (spurred on again by a wild, random returning cameo from Jonathan Groff's Rogue, who gets a message out to the Doctor to help him doubt the nature of the Wish World by basically saying 'I am gay and in a hell dimension but please remember that you like men!'), his entire role in the episode is to sit around swirling with doubt about the nature of his existence until he remembers that he's the Doctor. After she links up with Shirley, Ruby's 'investigation' essentially slams the brakes on its own momentum so the two of them can basically look up from below the giant bone palace as it sits above London. And then there's the Rani, or rather the Ranis plural, who are sitting up in that aforementioned bone palace, who are also largely just biding their time, as the latest incarnation of the renegade Time Lady practically begs the Doctor to figure out the world that she's dominating through Conrad is a falsehood, so he can remember who he is, and more importantly, who she is. But it's a weird vibe of the less intentional sort than those given off by Conrad's Bigot Paradise. The episode is, essentially, ticking down until you get to that moment of realization between the Doctor and the Rani, even after she spends much of the third act of 'Wish World' expositing to his face in an attempt to get the artifice to crumble around him once and for all. But because we already know that she's the Rani, and that the Doctor is not an insurance salesman named John Smith, there's no tension or mystery in what's being built towards, you're just a knowing audience waiting for the shoe to drop for the show's protagonist, a shoe you've known all along is going to drop. At least 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday' had the mystery of Susan Triad to build a sense of dread around, even if there wasn't much more to the episode beyond that—all 'Wish World' has is a compelling creepy concept it largely discards halfway through and then a literal ticking clock as we wait for the episode's final moments. So it turns out 'Wish World' needs to throw in another mystery reveal right at the last moment, because the Doctor realizing who the Rani is is not that much of an actual reveal to us any more. It turns out the Rani's big ticking clock counting down to May 24 has been powered by collecting the doubts of anyone who's questioned Conrad's reality, the Doctor included, juicing up the Vindicator the Doctor and Belinda have charged throughout the season even further to rip a hole through Earth and reality itself… opening up a dimension where none other than Omega, the ancient, godlike co-founder of Time Lord society (well, Timeless Child stuff nonwithstanding!), awaits. Admittedly 'Wish World' does get the leg up on 'Legend of Ruby Sunday' by putting its 'devastating destruction of pretty much everyone but our hero that will be inevitably undone next episode' moment before the cliffhanger this time, as we watch Earth splinter apart and collapse into the underverse, seemingly blipping everyone but the Doctor, Conrad, and the Ranis out of existence, Belinda included. But the Omega reveal is more confusing than it is shocking in the moment, because it feels like it comes out of nowhere after the episode builds towards an already dramatically compromised reveal. Sure, we don't know why the Rani is doing all this weird stuff with Conrad and a magic baby, but the episode never treats that as a mystery to interrogate, it's just ticking in the background while the Rani yearns for the Doctor to recognize her. So when Omega is invoked—we don't see him, it's just his name being dropped—what could've been something 'Wish World' built to just largely comes out of left field (unless you already happened to see that Russell T Davies teased on Instagram last week that there was a mystery third party in the villainous mix between Conrad and the Ranis, but should you have to check the showrunner's social media for suitable dramatic tension?). The Rani and the Doctor's encounter is all that 'Wish World' was building toward up to that point, and because it's building up to it for all of its runtime, the moment itself doesn't really get to sit beyond the climactic final minutes, robbing it of what little tension could remain. And so again, we're left waiting to see if next week's grand finale will retroactively make this week's preparation feel worth the clock-ticking… and if we really needed the Rani's return to herald Omega, and all the implications that then has for the Time Lords and Gallifrey at large beyond that. That feels like a lot to dig into, at least. Imagine if we'd gotten a two-part finale that actually leveraged its time to do just that?
