'Doctor Who' Regenerates in Surprise Season Finale. But Will the Show Return? (space.com)
(Sunday June 01, 2025 @09:34PM (EditorDavid)
from the Who's-on-first dept.)
- Reference: 0177895967
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/25/06/01/2323253/doctor-who-regenerates-in-surprise-season-finale-but-will-the-show-return
- Source link: https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/doctor-who-finale-sees-ncuti-gatwas-15th-doctor-regenerate-into-a-very-familiar-face-but-what-does-it-mean-for-the-show
" [1]The Doctor is dead. Long live the Doctor !" writes Space.com . (Spoilers ahead...)
> "The era of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor came to a surprise end on Saturday night, as the Time Lord regenerated at the end of "Doctor Who" season 2 finale... [T]he Doctor gradually realises that not everything is back to normal. Poppy, his daughter with Belinda Chandra in the "Wish World" fantasy, has been erased from history, so the Time Lord decides to sacrifice himself by firing a ton of regeneration energy into the time Vortex to "jolt it one degree" — and hopefully bring her back. It goes without saying that his madcap scheme saves Poppy, as we learn that, in this rewritten timeline, the little girl was always the reason Belinda [2]had been desperate to get back home . But arguably the biggest talking point of the episode — and, indeed, the season — is saved until last, as the Doctor [3]regenerates into a very familiar face ...
Hint: They played the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler, "alongside Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor and David Tennant's Tenth Doctor during the phenomenally successful first two seasons of the show's 2005 reboot."
Showrunner Russell T Davies called it "an honour and a hoot" to welcome back Billie Piper 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!"
> Although the show's post-regeneration credits have traditionally featured the line "And introducing [insert name] as the Doctor", here it simply says "And introducing Billie Piper". The omission of "as the Doctor" is unlikely to be accidental, suggesting that Davies is playing a very elaborate game with "Who" fandom...
>
> Another mystery! The BBC and Disney+ are yet to confirm if and when "Doctor Who" will return for a third season of its current iteration.
"There's no decision until after season two..." Davies [4]told Radio Times in April (as spotted by [5]the Independent ). "That's when the decision is — and the decision won't even be made by the people we work with at Disney Plus, it'll be made by someone in a big office somewhere. So literally nothing happening, no decision."
"For a new series to be ready for 2026, production would need to get under way relatively soon," [6]writes the BBC . "So at the moment a new series or a special starring Billie Piper before 2027 looks unlikely." [7]The Guardian adds :
> Concerns have been raised about falling viewing figures, which have struggled to rally since Russell T Davies' return in 2023. Two episodes during this series, which aired in May, got less than 3 million viewers — the lowest since the modern era began airing in 2005.
The Independent [8]has this statement from Piper : "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, but who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see."
[1] https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/doctor-who-finale-sees-ncuti-gatwas-15th-doctor-regenerate-into-a-very-familiar-face-but-what-does-it-mean-for-the-show
[2] https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/who-is-new-doctor-who-companion-belinda-chandra
[3] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/billie-piper-to-be-next-doctor-who/
[4] https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-season-15-rtd-future-exclusive-newsupdate/
[5] https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-billie-piper-credits-b2761491.html
[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyvzy82l4no
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jun/01/an-audible-gasp-doctor-who-fans-shocked-by-billie-piper-return
[8] https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-billie-piper-credits-b2761491.html
> "The era of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor came to a surprise end on Saturday night, as the Time Lord regenerated at the end of "Doctor Who" season 2 finale... [T]he Doctor gradually realises that not everything is back to normal. Poppy, his daughter with Belinda Chandra in the "Wish World" fantasy, has been erased from history, so the Time Lord decides to sacrifice himself by firing a ton of regeneration energy into the time Vortex to "jolt it one degree" — and hopefully bring her back. It goes without saying that his madcap scheme saves Poppy, as we learn that, in this rewritten timeline, the little girl was always the reason Belinda [2]had been desperate to get back home . But arguably the biggest talking point of the episode — and, indeed, the season — is saved until last, as the Doctor [3]regenerates into a very familiar face ...
Hint: They played the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler, "alongside Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor and David Tennant's Tenth Doctor during the phenomenally successful first two seasons of the show's 2005 reboot."
Showrunner Russell T Davies called it "an honour and a hoot" to welcome back Billie Piper 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!"
> Although the show's post-regeneration credits have traditionally featured the line "And introducing [insert name] as the Doctor", here it simply says "And introducing Billie Piper". The omission of "as the Doctor" is unlikely to be accidental, suggesting that Davies is playing a very elaborate game with "Who" fandom...
>
> Another mystery! The BBC and Disney+ are yet to confirm if and when "Doctor Who" will return for a third season of its current iteration.
"There's no decision until after season two..." Davies [4]told Radio Times in April (as spotted by [5]the Independent ). "That's when the decision is — and the decision won't even be made by the people we work with at Disney Plus, it'll be made by someone in a big office somewhere. So literally nothing happening, no decision."
"For a new series to be ready for 2026, production would need to get under way relatively soon," [6]writes the BBC . "So at the moment a new series or a special starring Billie Piper before 2027 looks unlikely." [7]The Guardian adds :
> Concerns have been raised about falling viewing figures, which have struggled to rally since Russell T Davies' return in 2023. Two episodes during this series, which aired in May, got less than 3 million viewers — the lowest since the modern era began airing in 2005.
The Independent [8]has this statement from Piper : "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, but who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see."
[1] https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/doctor-who-finale-sees-ncuti-gatwas-15th-doctor-regenerate-into-a-very-familiar-face-but-what-does-it-mean-for-the-show
[2] https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/who-is-new-doctor-who-companion-belinda-chandra
[3] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/billie-piper-to-be-next-doctor-who/
[4] https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-season-15-rtd-future-exclusive-newsupdate/
[5] https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-billie-piper-credits-b2761491.html
[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyvzy82l4no
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jun/01/an-audible-gasp-doctor-who-fans-shocked-by-billie-piper-return
[8] https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-billie-piper-credits-b2761491.html
Re: (Score:2)
by taustin ( 171655 )
Dr. Who has always been woke. Granted, they've leaned into it in recent seasons, but it's still a small change.
Re: (Score:1)
by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )
> You can say it: RTD's insatiable desire to serve the woke ideology has perhaps slain a 60 year old series.
You know he does this just to make people like you angry? The less white people in the show the more the same crowd complains.
dude! spoiler alert! (Score:3)
by Jayhawk0123 ( 8440955 )
haven't seen the episode yet... so.. thanks! :p
what's the point of putting in "(Spoilers ahead...)" in the article when you put the information in the headline?
THREE HAPPY FANS (Score:1)
by gavron ( 1300111 )
The five people who think "British Humor" is funny and the seven people who think Doctor Who is relevant concide into a union of three people who give a rat's ass about this.
The Doctor is dead. The Daleks ran out of oil years ago. The TARDIS wasn't granted a license by the FAA. Billy is 75 years old.
Geezeus kids, get over it and go watch something modern like Knight Rider.
It wasn't Ncuti Gatwa (Score:5, Insightful)
The reason the show sucks now isn't Ncuti Gatwa, his acting or any indelible characteristics. It's Disney and their infinite capacity for ruining anything creative by playing it safe, coloring inside the lines.
Re:It wasn't Ncuti Gatwa (Score:4, Informative)
I really enjoyed Ncuti Gatwa playing the doctor. He was full of energy and looked like he was actually enjoying things. Jodie Whitaker was terrible and not because she's a woman. She was stone faced and admitted to never having watched any old shows. To prove my point watch the following clip and tell me who does a better job. Jodie Whitaker or Jo Martin. [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Ncuti Gatwa's first season was unwatchable with bad stories and plots. This second season was a complete turn around and a massive improvement. I'm sad to see him go.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIWS_foJWJs
Re: It wasn't Ncuti Gatwa (Score:2)
If they want to revive the show they should look at the show when it had the fourth doctor.
Disney should stuff a lot of their template rules somewhere where the sun never shines.
Re: (Score:2)
I feel like this is a step back and won't do anything for growing the audience. Ncuti Gatwa is a fantastic actor. My wife and I look forward to Ncuti's next project.
The old Doctor who (Score:2)
Was written by some of the best sci-fi writers and script writers out there. There's just a lot less sci-fi being written now so you don't have this giant pool of great authors to draw on like you did back in the day. The result is the scripts and the material are extremely Hit or Miss no matter what.
I mean for the most part the original Doctor who wasn't all that controversial certainly not Star Trek levels of controversy (first interracial kiss anyone?).