The recent season 2 finale of Doctor Who ended with an absolute bombshell as Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into none other than Billie Piper, who previously played fan-favorite Rose Tyler, the first companion of the 'New Who' era.
In the weeks leading up to the finale, fans had theorized that a regeneration was coming. Both Disney and the BBC were heavily promoting an epic finale, going as far as aligning the premiere times so fans around the world could watch it simultaneously. In addition, a number of UK cinemas held special screenings for the episode. The finale itself, titled "The Reality War," ended up being just okay. It had great moments, but was largely let down by messy pacing and underwhelming character arcs for companions Ruby Sunday and Belinda Chandra.
However, it was the Doctor's regeneration into none other than Billie Piper that had droves of fans screaming, confused, and excited en masse. Check it out:
While fans may be surprised by Piper's reintroduction, this time stepping back into the TARDIS as its resident Time-Lord, Piper herself has never really felt like her journey was over. Being such a timeless show, Doctor Who has always been by her side throughout her career.
“Yeah, I would come back," she said in a previous interview on Doctor Who: Unleashed before the big reveal, per TV Insider. "What’s funny is that I never feel like I’ve left Doctor Who because there is this huge Doctor Who afterlife, which is, obviously people still really want to talk about it, it’s a massive fandom so we do conventions and we meet lots of the fans, and there’s always features and it’s always on the TV on some channel and a new generation pick it up."
""So it never feels like it’s over like it does with all the other jobs I’ve done. So coming back is really good fun, but I also — so I would do it, but I still feel like I’m in it, just a lot older."
Funnily enough, before Piper returns to the franchise as the Doctor, she'll first reprise her role as Rose in an upcoming series of audio adventures at Big Finish, coming this August. The audio drama reunites Rose with the Tenth Doctor, played by Chris Eccleston. The future of the Whoniverse is in the safe hands of one of its most beloved stars.
That said, there may be changes coming. The last two seasons of Doctor Who have been produced in partnership with Disney, which meant more cash and airing internationally on Disney+. According to journalist Daniel Richtman, who often shares inside info about the entertainment industry, that deal is coming to an end. That doesn't mean the show won't continue — the BBC seems determined that it will — just not with Disney as a partner. Whether that means the BBC will go alone or find a new partner remains to be seen. And at the end of the day this is a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt.
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h/t ComicBookMovie