Billie Piper on how she would change her Doctor Who ending
Billie Piper is without a doubt one of the most popular companions of the modern era of Doctor Who helping to bring the show back after its long hiatus from TV alongside the Ninth Doctor of Christopher Eccleston in 2005.
Her character Rose was central to much of the early Doctor Who stories conjured up by Russell T Davies in his first incarnation as showrunner of the BBC science fiction series, and clearly a Rose, if not the Rose, will be important in the 60th-anniversary specials in November 2023 too with Yasmin Finney playing a character of the same name.
Billie was a companion to both Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor in her regular stint as the character between 2005 and 2006 and has been seen briefly in the show since. Her last regular appearance in the show was in 2006’s second-season finale Doomsday which is set mostly in London’s Canary Wharf area and sees the Daleks and Cybermen reap havoc on earth. And although the world is saved, it leaves the Doctor and Rose separated in different universes.
But after such a successful time on the show, if Billie was able to change a plot or an ending, what would she change?
“Oh my God, for sure, the Doctor Who ending where I go off with the second Doctor instead of the real Doctor to the parallel universe,” said Billie in an interview with Buzzfeed.
She added: “It’s not a criticism of Russell T Davies, because he is the master, but I struggled with that. Mainly because the second Doctor is less good than the real one!”
Piper was also asked about the Fifteenth Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa and her opinion on his casting in the role. Her answer was overwhelmingly positive…
“Great! It’s just going from strength to strength, I’m so here for it,” she said.
With Russell T Davies back as showrunner and the 60th-anniversary specials coming up which we already know will feature David Tennant as the Fourteenth, the return of Catherine Tate and a new character called Rose, many fans will be hoping that we’ll get to see a reprisal of the original Rose in the form of Billie Piper in one or several of these specials.
Piper returned to Doctor Who for the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, in 2013, so there is definitely still a hope we’ll see her again.
Right now the plot and the casting around the specials remain top secret, just like much of what will happen in Doctor Who season 14 with Ncuti Gatwa and his new companion Ruby Sunday, played by former Coronation Street star Millie Gibson.
However, with nearly a year to go until the specials air, there’s still plenty of time for lots of surprise announcements before we finally get to see how it all comes together.
Billie Piper will next be starring in I Hate Suzie Too, the second season of her award-winning comedy-drama about the out-of-control life of a teen star who has now grown up. I Hate Suzie Too is on Sky and NOW in the UK from 20th December.
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