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Reflecting on Ncuti Gatwa's departure and why Billie Piper's return is a mistake

  • Writer: Will Sanger
    Will Sanger
  • 2 days ago
  • 11 min read

Recently we had the final episode of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor with his era ending disappointingly early. The Disney+ deal, the return of Russell T Davies and the casting of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor was meant to reignite Doctor Who’s popularity, but the truth is it didn’t have the success that was hoped for. Billie Piper seemed to replace Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor in an ambiguous situation which I think is a huge mistake and I’d like to delve into why.


Going into Season 2 Ncuti Gatwa’s departure seemed inevitable, as did his regeneration, which is a massive shame and leaves him as one of the most wasted Doctors there has been. He is a star who generates a lot of interest and was clearly an attempt to draw in a larger audience. Ncuti Gatwa came in with a different take and seemed to redefine the character from a fresh perspective. The character still has the age, gravitas and darkness, but Ncuti Gatwa injects them with an emotionally open personality, heartfelt nature and a carefree cheekiness. The Fifteenth Doctor is in some ways the most distinct and different Doctor we’ve had since Tom Baker, based around Ncuti Gatwa’s personality and persona. Stories like Boom, the Well and the Story and the Engine show Gatwa’s emotional rawness and what he is capable of. Yet he certainly got stretched as an actor to a greater degree in Sex Education. This is because he was given the growth and character centric storytelling that displayed his talent. His lack of availability on Doctor Who and the eight-episode limitation put massive constraints on Doctor Who’s ability to centre the show around him.


I still feel rather gutted that he is gone from the series so early because he felt like the future of Doctor Who. From when he arrived in the Giggle, his Doctor had a dominating energy and charm, and his character automatically took control of things. I didn’t like everything about his portrayal. The lack of a distinctive look undermined his credibility a lot and his sexual desires as a character isn’t something that I feel works for the Doctor, which is also an issue I had with Matt Smith’s incarnation. That being said, Ncuti Gatwa clearly felt a personal connection with the role which resonates on screen and fuelled a part of himself into the emotion of the Doctor. You feel the past Doctors melded into him but with a different energy and I wish we got to see more of that energy explored.


A first season is meant to sell a new Doctor and show how strong they are. Season 1 is limited in its ability to do this because Ncuti Gatwa had a lack of availability and two of his episodes barely feature him. It feels like a waste of the Fifteenth Doctor who isn’t fully explored in the way they deserve to be. Season 2 sees Ncuti Gatwa assume the role of the Doctor much more prominently. You see the darkness, rage and intelligence of the character come alive on full display. You see, the dangerous side that is lying beneath the exterior of the Fifteenth Doctor’s incarnation. His more open emotions allow him to easily slip into a dangerous anger. There was clearly more to come on this and his character arc was left open and incomplete. Ncuti Gatwa was great casting and a strong Doctor but could have been one of the best. He was robbed that opportunity and as a result I do have a dampened enthusiasm for the future of Doctor Who. The fact that he never even got to face a Dalek feels like a real injustice. Facing the Daleks has felt like a rite of passage for every Doctor. Sylvester McCoy said he never felt like the Doctor till he had faced the Daleks. The most threatening menace which the Fifteenth Doctor has faced has been Maestro. Despite some potential Sutekh, Omega and the Rani were misused and didn’t have the threat they should. Arcs like the Boss and the return of Susan are never resolved and the Fifteenth Doctor has an unfinished and unsatisfying character arc with threads which are never picked up on, which makes the result of things very frustrating.


If they couldn’t provide the Fifteenth Doctor with a strong ending, I wish they hadn’t given him one at all. The Season 2 finale would have been stronger open ended where then another Doctor could eventually come in and expanded media could do what it does best and over time finish the Fifteenth Doctor’s story. If there needed to be a regeneration, it would have been better as an open-ended regeneration where you don’t see who Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into. It would generate more anticipation, excitement and be frankly less embarrassing than the show's current state which reeks of desperation. In 1989, the show was left in a place where it could be easily picked up, but if Billie Piper’s return for some reason isn’t picked up on, then the show is left in an awkward and embarrassing place.


I’m not blaming Billie Piper for this at all. She is hugely talented, and Russell T Davies has done a lot for her career, so I understand why she would want to come back or do a favour for Russell T Davies. Billie Piper is also a marvellous actor and if she hadn’t been in Doctor Who before, I’d be up for the casting. She showed great emotional range as Rose Tyler and modernised and pushed forward the companion role; she was my first companion, so I have a lot of affection for her as an actor. Her return in Day of the Doctor playing the Moment also displayed a sense of age, authority and danger which convinces me she would have what it takes to play the Doctor. Looking at her work outside of Doctor Who I Hate Suzie proves what a talent she is. She pours her personal experience into her role, portraying a heavily flawed and damaged character navigating the public spotlight.


The problem with Billie Piper’s return is that it feels like it's needlessly catering to nostalgia and it's not a good look when Ncuti Gatwa is sandwiched between two returning actors from the same era of Doctor Who at its height of popularity. It feels like Doctor Who has got to the point where it's recycling the past for audience interest as a lot of franchises now seem to be doing. A lot of fans will compare this to the 60th Anniversary when David Tennant returned only as the Fourteenth Doctor. The reason I don’t feel this way is that David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor worked as a novelty and was a valuable creative direction.


For the 60th anniversary, it was inevitable that at least one past Doctor would return and using him as the Fourteenth Doctor was a novel approach. You got a valuable story of emotional development with the Doctor processing their trauma and the pain they had been through since they last saw Donna, as the two reacquaint themselves with each other and you see how they have changed. It had an appropriate storyline about reflecting on the past with the closure of the Doctor living a normal life and feeling settled. It did generate audience interest with nostalgia, but with its character centric nature it justified itself. To use Billie Piper in the same way two years later feels pathetic. There was a reason to do it before because it was the 60th Anniversary. Billie Piper is there to pull in a drifting audience, but the trick and novelty of nostalgia generates less hype and excitement every time it is used.


Whilst I can justify the return of David Tennant on its own, there is no denying what it has opened the door for. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the show's creatives designed the Fourteenth Doctor to engage longtime fans and usher in a new era. The precedent of having an old actor return feels like it has opened the door for recycling old stars of the show. Ten years ago, it would have been unfathomable and felt ridiculous that the show would make a decision like this. The fact they have resorted to this puts the show in a dire place. It sends the message that there is nothing of value in the show’s future and its existence is based on recycling nostalgia for excitement and content which is depressing.


Even the original series during its decline didn’t go to these low levels. Billie Piper’s stunt casting feels like a jump the shark moment for Doctor Who and something I do think it is going to be difficult to recover from. She isn’t credited as the Doctor so she could be Bad Wolf or Rose, but to be honest, I don’t really care. I don’t have any need to see Rose Tyler again because her character felt wrapped up and concluded and the nostalgia of having her back doesn’t pique my interest. Following through on Billie Piper as the Doctor might actually be the most interesting thing to do because no matter what the optics are, it could be creatively valuable to see her play the Doctor.


It feels sad to me because the Fifteenth Doctor era has been promising and a step in the right direction. It's been a mixed bag with fumbled results in its story arcs and character development, but there have been some wonderful individual stories. Stories like the Devil’s Chord, 73 Yards, Dot and Bubble and the Story and the Engine really push the boat out into bold and interesting territory. The show has gone into experimental and unique places which bring out some of its best work. The overall trajectory of this era fell apart totally, but you can at least admire the ambition and strength of the individual episodes. Billie Piper’s return feels like the opposite of this and a creative dead end.


Russell T Davies is an amazing character writer, and I have a lot to thank him for with the way he modernised Doctor Who with a fresh direction back in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor, which hooked me. I feel at this point he has little else to offer the show. He has the same vision and will recycle the same tropes and formulas. Doctor Who needs someone who can re-design it for a different age. The Disney+ deal was the opportunity for that, but the structure of the series really didn’t change enough to refresh things.


The biggest mistake the Fifteenth Doctor era made was its habit of catering to nostalgia, which limits its audience. Sutekh, the Rani and Omega don’t feel like they are there to be formidable villains for the Doctor to face off against. They are there for recognition, nostalgia and to generate interest and content online. As villains, Sutekh and Omega are ruined and disrespected. They are turned into CGI monsters and a shell of their former selves. Russell T Davies is very capable of modernising old villains. John Simm’s Master is one of my favourite incarnations of the character. Russell T Davies kept their essence and the essential relationship between him and the Doctor but refreshed them with a tragic backstory and an insanity that created an original take and wonderful unhinged performance from John Simm. More recently, Russell T Davies did a terrific job with the Toymaker played by Neil Patrick Harris. He captured the essence and basics of the character and simply adjusted them in appropriate ways. It was a continuation with valuable conflict between the Doctor and the Toymaker and uses the idea in a way that’s tied into a modern world. Russell T Davies, when he applies himself, can make an amazing impact with his villains. Surrounding the story around their menace and a key performance puts a spotlight on the villain and the terror they inflict.


I’m in favour of bringing old villains back who haven’t returned in many years rather than always using the Daleks and Cybermen. However, you need to use the potential of them as villains and having them ruined to generate content and hype feels massively disappointing.

They should be there for the value of the story itself. Between this, the random appearance of the Fugitive Doctor and appearance from the Thirteenth Doctor in the finale, it does feel like Doctor Who is surviving from nostalgia. Having an old Doctor come back should feel like a novelty rather than an expectation. Having two Doctors pop up in cameo roles in the same series massively undermines the era itself. The biggest disappointment is how Susan was handled. The Doctor’s granddaughter and their first companion are special to fans and Carole Ann Ford has a prominent role and legacy due to her place in the genesis of the series. She was used as fan baiting across Season 1 only to be used as a vision in the Interstellar Song Contest towards the end of Season 2 with Carole Ann Ford returning to the role. All of this fizzles out and comes to mean nothing by the end of the season. There have been rumours that the original ending featured Susan in a cliff-hanger that would lead into Season 3. With the uncertain status of the show, this feels even more disappointing. Fans have wanted Susan to return for a reason; there is a story there to tell, and to not see Carole Ann Ford realise this potential dampens my enthusiasm.


I’m pretty sure that Sutekh and Omega were used in the way they were, partly because of the spectacle of this past era. Russell T Davies thrived in his first era through the grounded and emotional writing. There seems to be more of a focus now on light-hearted spectacle. Using Sutekh and Omega as big CGI titans is a way of trying to compete with Marvel and other big science fiction franchises. Russell T Davies should go back to what the show does best. His first era was grounded with connective storytelling and spooky episodes which define Doctor Who. Large-scale escapism is not Doctor Who at its best. It tends to do better when it's more thought provoking, dark and grounded.


I can understand the concern of competing with other science fiction, but I think the show would find more success if it stayed true to its origins and itself. There are rumours currently that the BBC is in negotiations with another streaming service who are in conflict with Russell T Davies who wants the show to remain family friendly, whereas the streamer wants to veer more towards a Stranger Things tone. In this instance, I would agree with the streamer. The Fifteenth Doctor run has tried for a more light-hearted approach and the best episodes have been the likes of the Well, Boom and 73 Yards, which venture into darker places. When Phillip Hinchcliffe took on Doctor Who back in 1975, he aimed it at a slightly more mature audience to broaden the audience and age range. Making Doctor Who darker and more terrifying would capture the interest of a child audience who love to feel scared. Catering to children exclusively doesn’t really work for Doctor Who because it's not in the spirit of the scariness and horror of the series. I’m not saying it should be on a Stranger Things level of dark, but tapping into terror and horrifying and disturbing ideas would do a lot for the show. Given the Pertwee era was inspired by the Avengers and the Eccleston era was inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it is important to look at modern TV for inspiration. Russell T Davies has done this in the wrong way in this era. He can’t replicate the Marvel and Star Wars shows, but there are other shows he could look to.


If another streamer is to come on board, I reckon the most likely options are Amazon, HBO or Paramount. I think Netflix would be one to avoid because of how often they cancel their shows and Doctor Who this time will need a more long-term partner.


From my viewpoint, the show needs a fresh shakeup in its creative team and a different Doctor won’t change that. It needs someone to come in from outside with a different idea and pitch. Statements from Russell T Davies in the most recent edition of DWM certainly indicate a short hiatus whilst they get the cogs in the right place for the series to continue. I will always want more from Doctor Who, but I don’t want it to continue for the sake of existing. It should feel like it is still scary and thought provoking. It's unlikely to happen but it could benefit from a few years' rest and a chance for the audience to miss it.

Sources that influenced this article:

Russell T Davies, 2025, Doctor Who Magazine, pages 4-5

Russell T Davies, 2025, Farewell... and "Oh Helllo", Doctor Who Magazine, pages 12-14


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