New Doctor Who rumours have fans worried show is ‘out of ideas’
Fans are worried for the show's future.
Fans of Doctor Who have shared their concern that the beloved BBC show is ‘running out of ideas’ following a new rumour that former Time Lord David Tennant is set to reprise his role on the show.
As its two-part series finale concluded last week, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) sparked a shock regeneration while tapping into the heart of the TARDIS to shift reality itself.
In doing so, he succeeded in saving Space Baby Poppy, pulling her into a reality where Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) had always been her mother.
However, this use of his Time Lord energy came at a cost – and, after bidding farewell to Belinda, the Doctor began to regenerate into his Sixteenth form.
(Re)enter Billie Piper, whose face replaced Ncuti’s in a blast of regeneration energy. “Oh hello,” grinned the one-time Rose Tyler as the end credits rolled, seemingly taking his place as the Sixteenth Doctor.
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But is all as it seems? As speculation blazes on that this new ‘Doctor’ may not be all she seems, another rumoured return has fans worried that the show is becoming far too reliant on its own past.
Billie Piper returned in a shock regeneration last week (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon/PA Wire) This comes as star Ncuti Gatwa left the show after only two series (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/PA Wire)In a rumour reported by The Sun, Billie’s casting is set to facilitate a return from another face from recent history – former Tenth Doctor David.
‘There is talk about a possible one-off project to celebrate the 20th anniversary. David and Billie were a hugely popular partnership and he brought in a golden age of Doctor Who,’ an insider told the tabloid.
‘With the anniversary of the reboot this year, there have been some ideas floated about, with the thought of maybe bringing David and Billie back together for one last hurrah.’
If (and it’s a big if!) true, this would be the third time David has returned to the role since his exit in 2010.
Following a crossover episode with Matt Smith in 2013, David officially regenerated back into himself in 2023, becoming the Fourteenth Doctor for three special episodes.
David Tennant first played The Doctor from 2005 to 2010 (Picture: PA)Reacting to this speculative news on X, fans shared their fears for the show’s future, with IanOTimelord writing: ‘No, no, no. [series showrunner Russell T Davies] needs to go if true. He’s run out of ideas. The brand is wounded.’
‘The current show runners appear to have run out of ideas then?’ said Squarepush33279.
‘I wish the good writers made a comeback’ joked and_catch_fire.
‘Russell needs to move on!’ exclaimed CHG3899.
David Tennant briefly returned to the role in 2023, alongside former companion Catherine Tate (Picture: BBC)With Doctor Who’s return date yet to be confirmed by either the BBC or its overlords at Disney, it remains unknown why Billie is back… or who she’s really playing.
In the end credits to Saturday’s episode, both Ncuti and Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker were given their formal title, while Billie got a more cryptic ‘introducing’ credit.
This has led to speculation that she may not be playing The Doctor at all… which is possibly for the best, if previous statements are anything to go by.
The episode also featured a return from Jodie Whittaker’s much-maligned Thirteenth Doctor (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon/PA Wire)‘I don’t think the Doctor should be a woman,’ she told HELLO! back in 2009. She added: ‘Forgive me, I know it’s not a feminist thing to say, but it’s like saying, ‘Let’s make James Bond a woman’. It’s a man’s role.’
Thankfully, she changed her tune eight years later, just in time for Jodie to take on the role.
‘I think it would be great [to have a female Doctor] given the spirit of the world at the moment. I think it would be timely,’ Billie said.
Billie served as the rebooted series’ first companion, Rose Tyler (Picture: BBC) Comment nowIs Billie Piper really playing The Doctor? Let us know what you think!Comment NowA popular fan theory suggests that Billie/Rose’s return to Doctor Who may have something to do with the 2005 episode The Parting of the Ways.
In the series finale’s climax, Rose unleashed the heart of the TARDIS to save the universe from Dalek extermination.
With the energy she had absorbed set to kill Rose, The Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) took it into himself – causing his regeneration into David Tennant.
Rose and her new Doctor quickly hit it off, sparking a romance between the Time Lord and his companion which was cut short when she became trapped in an alternate reality with only her mum and the Doctor’s Meta-Crisis doppelganger for company.
Since then, she has returned to the franchise for three spin-off audio adventures, as well as a surprise cameo (but not as Rose!) in 2013’s Day of The Doctor crossover.
How likely is David Tennant's return?Our Deputy TV Editor Tom Percival shares his thoughts…
While David Tennant has shown an impressive dedication to Doctor Who (returning not once but twice), an imminent return seems unlikely. The Rivals star has been pretty emphatic that after the 60th anniversary, he’s keen to take a break from the show, and to be honest, I think that’s the right attitude.
One of the big issues with the series in recent years is its reliance on nostalgia. With that in mind, I fear bringing him back for a third time risks making Doctor Who into the David Tennant show and robbing the series of its identity. As the 11th Doctor once said, ‘We all change when you think about it… And that’s okay, that’s good. You’ve got to keep moving.’
This has led some to wonder whether the events of The Parting of the Ways are still in play, leading to some residual ‘Bad Wolf’ energy in Ncuti’s surprise regeneration.
Billie herself has kept quiet on the specifics, instead celebrating her return to the franchise with a post on Instagram.
‘A rose is a rose is a rose !!!’ she wrote as she posted a series of pictures to her account – including snaps of herself as Rose Tyler.
She then signed off with a cartoon wolf hidden among two rose emojis. Might this comment hint at her character’s true nature?
Only time will tell.
The BBC declined to comment when approached by Metro.co.uk.
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