Ex-companion Billie Piper resurfaces in ‘Doctor Who' finale shocker as Ncuti Gatwa exits show

There's a new doctor in the TARDIS.
Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into former companion Billie Piper during the British sci-fi show's season finale on Saturday.
Gatwa, 32, confirmed to the BBC that he's leaving the series after playing the Time Lord for two seasons.
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8 Ncuti Gatwa in the 'Doctor Who' season finale.
BBC
8 Ncuti Gatwa is leaving 'Doctor Who' after two seasons.
BBC
Piper, 42, previously played Rose Tyler, the companion to Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor and David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, on the show from 2005 to 2006.
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In a statement to the BBC, Piper celebrated her return to the show but didn't confirm that she's playing the Sixteenth Doctor.
8 Billie Piper in the 'Doctor Who' season finale.
BBC
8 Billie Piper is returning to the 'Doctor Who' franchise.
BBC
'It's no secret how much 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, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse,' the actress said.
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'But who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see,' she added.
8 Billie Piper attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards.
ZUMAPRESS.com
Showrunner Russell T Davis added: 'Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she's done it again! 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!'
If Piper is the new Doctor, she'll be the second female to take on the iconic role after Jodie Whittaker, who played the Thirteenth Doctor from 2018 to 2022.
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8 Billie Piper and David Tennant filming 'Doctor Who' in 2006.
Huw John/Shutterstock
Whittaker, 42, made a cameo in Saturday's finale. The credits at the end of the episode said, 'Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. And introducing Billie Piper.'
Gatwa joined the series after Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor regenerated in 2023.
'You know when you get cast, at some point you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it,' Gatwa told the BBC about his exit from the series.
8 Ncuti Gatwa in the 'Doctor Who' season finale.
BBC
'This journey has been one that I will never forget, and a role that will be part of me forever,' the 'Barbie' star continued. 'There are no words to describe what it feels like to be cast as the Doctor, nor are there words to explain what it feels like to be accepted into this iconic role that has existed for over 60 years and is truly loved by so many across the globe.'
8 Ncuti Gatwa at the BAFTA Scotland awards.
ZUMAPRESS.com
Gatwa added: 'The fans are truly the final character and beating heart of this show and I can't thank the Whoniverse, and the Whovians, enough for welcoming me in, and making this such a touching experience. 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.'
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'I'll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor,' Gatwa concluded.
Gatwa is set to star in the play 'Born With Teeth' in the West End. Performances run from Aug. 13 to Nov. 11.

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