Doctor WhoSeason 2 officially came to an end last weekend, finishing with a timey-wimey explosion as the world was left agasp watchingNcuti Gatwaofficially regenerate. Following the surprise return ofJodie Whittakerto help usher The Doctor into his new era, an even greater shock was waiting when it was revealed that Gatwa was regenerating intoBillie Piper. Yes, the face of Rose Tyler and the Bad Wolf entity in the 50th Anniversary specialbecame the most unlikely revealat the end of a two-part finale full of fairly predictable twists and turns.
However, despite most who avoided those pesky leaks being entirely dumbfounded by the choice to have Piper’s face regenerate from Gatwa’s, one former Time Lord would’ve been quite the opposite. In fact, Ninth DoctorChristopher Ecclestonwould’ve likely been punching the air with joy upon the finale’s closing moments, if he still watched the series that is after falling out with creatorRussell T. Daviesand other higher-ups. Back in an interview from Fan Expo in 2022, Eccleston remarked about the choice to bring backDavid Tennant, and insteadclaimed that Piper was the perfect fit for the role, perhaps manifesting it into future existence. Eccleston said:
“I was saying to somebody today in the green room that Russell T Davies is coming back, right, and who’s going to be his Doctor?I think it should be Billie Piper, actually.Catherine Tate’s great but, I think there’s your Doctor. And I’d like to see you all struggle with it. ‘How can she be the Doctor when she was an assistant?!’ I like the idea of it blowing fuses in the canon, or whatever it’s called. ‘No, this cannot! Dissonance, dissonance!”
Many Fans Are Unhappy With ‘Doctor Who’s Latest Twist
Piper is undoubtedly a terrific actress, with her performance as Rose perfect for ushering in a new era of the show. However, this exact fact is indicative of why so many are frustrated with her new casting. In2005, audiences were skeptical about Piper,a young woman known mainly for her successful British pop music, joiningDoctor Who, but were willing to take a chance on a new face that eventually paid dividends. With the sci-fi series in desperate need of a shake-up akin to 2005’s, looking into the past instead of bravely to the future is counter-intuitive, with Davies’ second era sadly hampered by a relentless need to call back to the show’s history.IfDoctor Whowants to move forward, it needs to leave its past behind.
Doctor WhoSeason 2 is available to watch in full on Disney+.
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