Why Everyone’s Talking About ‘Doctor Who’ and THAT Massive Finale Scene
This weekend saw the season finale of Doctor Who, and if you’ve been on the internet recently, you’ve probably seen quite a bit of buzz surrounding the episode and the future of the show!
Here, we’re going to discuss why everyone’s talking about the sci-fi series, all while diving into THAT major plot twist.
As you can expect, this post is going to contain some pretty massive spoilers for Doctor Who season 2, so if you’ve not caught up yet, I’d suggest you stop reading here!
Photo: Disney
Still got you? Ok, great… let’s go!
What Happened in Doctor Who this week?
Ok, so while we’re not going to delve into deep detail as to the overarching plot of the last season, I will give you a brief summary as to the way the finale ended up.
The Wish ended, Belinda got back home to her definitely real-life daughter, UNIT resumed operations, and Ruby…well, Ruby is still hanging on in there, bless her. Lastly, the Thirteenth Doctor popped back in from an “alternate timeline,” kindly stopping to give our Doctor a pep talk, a compliment about his face, and some kindly advice on how to fly the TARDIS better.
The Thirteenth Doctor. Photo Credit: BBC
The final scene saw the Doctor blast into space, opening the TARDIS door to greet star Joy in a cute throwback to the 2024 Christmas Special. Then, clinging on to the police box doorframe for dear life, the Doctor regenerated, signifying a whole new era for the classic BBC series!
Image: BBC
Who’s the New Doctor Then?
So this is where it gets interesting, as fans couldn’t believe who the fifteenth doctor regenerated into.
Following the blinding flash of regeneration light, viewers were greeted by the beautiful face of Billie Piper, smiling down the camera and giving us a cheery “oh, hello,” as if the Whovian world hadn’t just been rocked to its core!
Image: BBC
The reason for the shocker is twofold, really, as we weren’t necessarily expecting a regeneration scene in this episode to start with. While Russell T. Davis was recently obliged to give a statement quashing rumors that Ncuti Gatwa had been “axed” from the show, there wasn’t really any concrete evidence suggesting that Gatwa would enjoy only a two-season stint as the Doctor.
Sure, an end-of-season regeneration is hardly unheard of in this show, but there were no prior nuggets dropped in earlier episodes to suggest this would be the end of Fifteen.
The Doctor and Belinda. Photo: Disney
In a statement shared by the BBC, Gatwa said, “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.”
Nothing prepared us for the departure, either!
Photo: Variety
The second reason our jaws are on the floor, however – and the cause of all this internet chatter – is of course because Billie Piper has seemingly been cast as the Sixteenth Doctor. I say “seemingly” for reasons we’ll get onto in a while – but this is a plot twist I don’t think any of us expected would happen!
What are you on about? you ask. Well, in case you’re super new to Doctor Who, let me explain: Billie Piper famously played the role of Rose Tyler, the Doctor’s companion, for two seasons between 2005 and 2006. Following this, she also made guest appearances in later seasons and is considered by many to be one of the most memorable and iconic companions from the series. To have her return to the show is, undeniably, quite the talking point!
The Tenth Doctor and Rose. Image: BBC
So is Billie Piper the New Doctor…Or Has Rose Tyler Returned?
Since the Doctor regenerated into her, it’s obviously fair for one to assume that Billie Piper is now playing the Sixteenth Doctor.
However, this is Doctor Who we’re talking about, so it might not be as straightforward as that.
The TARDIS visiting Disney Springs
Last we heard of Rose Tyler was that she was stuck in a parallel universe, but that’s not strictly to say that she can’t ever return. Anything goes in the Whoniverse (hello, bigeneration), so we really shouldn’t be surprised if she comes back. Or perhaps the Doctor simply took her face when he regenerated, thus enabling Billie Piper to step into an all-new role in the series.
The thing that’s got people most hung up on this idea, however, is the credits that immediately rolled following her brief appearance on Saturday. While Ncuti Gatwa and Jodie Whittaker were both credited as playing “The Doctor,” Billie Piper was left without a role title.
Cue: intrigued Whovians ferociously typing “what could this mean???” into the forums!
Photo Credit: BBC
What Could It Mean?
What could it mean? Well, we just don’t know. I’ve said it before (just a few paragraphs above, actually) and I’ll say it again: anything goes in Doctor Who.
It’s worth remembering that this isn’t the first time showrunner Russell T. Davis has brought back classic Doctor Who faces. Famously, shortly after Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor, Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor), pushing back Gatwa’s title to Fifteen. With Tennant’s return came a three-part series of specials, also featuring Catherine Tate returning to the role of Donna Noble.
In short, familiar faces seem to be cropping up quite frequently recently, and what we’ve already seen might only be the beginning of an entire throwback era!
The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna. Image: BBC
Unfortunately, however, fans will have to wait until the Christmas special to find out who will be driving the TARDIS forward into the next series. Until then, all we can do is speculate!
In the meantime, you can catch Doctor Who on Disney+. We’ll be avidly re-watching Rose’s old episodes until the Christmas special airs, and can’t wait to see what happens to the Doctor next!
Featured image: BBC
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