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Doctor Who: Billie Piper as Next Doctor "Extraordinary Move": Darvill

Doctor Who star Arthur Darvill likes the idea of Billie Piper being the Sixteenth Doctor and offered some thoughts on the show's future.

Assuming that Showrunner Russell T. Davies's upcoming 2026 Christmas Special addresses the matter of whether or not Billie Piper is the actual Sixteenth Doctor (there's no guarantee), we've got about nine months' worth of folks offering their views on what Davies had in mind for when Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor regenerated.  Of course, Piper's role is only a small part of the bigger questions surrounding the long-running show's future. Speaking with Radio Times's Doctor Who Insiders for an interview set to hit later this month, Arthur Darvill (companion Rory Williams) offered his thoughts on Piper appearing at the end of "The Reality War" and the possibility of her being the next Doctor. In addition, Darvill shared why he believes the show could "just go on forever," as long as the show "keeps true to what it is."

"Billie's amazing. If that does happen and she ends up being the Doctor, I think that's an extraordinary move because she's just such a good actor," Darvill offered when asked for his thoughts on the possibility of Piper returning to the franchise to pilot the TARDIS. As for the show's future beyond the Christmas Special, Darvill admits that he isn't up on what's been going down with Disney, but shares some bigger-picture thoughts on the show. "It is an interesting point at the moment. I haven't really looked into the ins and outs of it, and I'm sure everyone's got lots of very, very vigorous opinions on the Disney thing, and whether that worked or not. I didn't really watch it, I don't know. I presume it will just go on forever – and that's a good thing. It's about change, and it's about life and death and it's about something regenerating, being reborn out of something that has gone before." he explained.

Darvill continued, "So I think it will always exist. I just hope it kind of keeps true to what it is. At its core, it's so full of heart and love, and it's about outsiders, and it's about difference and embracing difference, but also about having really complicated ideas about things, and battles between good and evil, and the blurred lines between those two things. I think there are endless stories you can tell. I mean, the number of Doctor Who books and fan fiction and things that are written – the possibility for stories is endless. As soon as you put someone new in that part, it opens up a whole a whole plethora of other ideas and stories, and there are so many brilliant actors who could play that part. It would be silly to not carry it on and keep changing it and see other people's takes on it."

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2026: A Timeline

In October, we learned that Davies would be writing the Christmas Special, with Davies sharing, "Here we go. Away in Danger? Jingle Hells? Silent Blight? Hark the Weeping Angels Sing..? O Come All Ye… um, Nimon?" A month later, during an interview with RadioTimes.com, Davies revealed that his current commitments were preventing him from writing the special. "Not at the moment because I'm busy on [The War Between the Land and the Sea]. I'm also shooting a show in Manchester [Tip Toe], so next year my plate clears, and we'll get to work on that." However, Davies made it clear that he's not going to be writing the special cold, adding, "I know exactly what happens in it, don't worry about that."

In Doctor Who Magazine #624, Davies dropped a tease about the special in his Doctor Who-themed "12 Days of Christmas" column. "Twelve months-a-waiting! Next December, I'll be here to trumpet and toot about the 2026 Christmas Special. It contains these three words. 'Bafflers,' 'Winternox' and 'village.'" Shortly after, Davies shared that the bigwigs over at the BBC liked what Davies had planned for the special. "We haven't even started work on it yet," Davies revealed to BBC Newsbeat regarding next year's Christmas special. "I know what happens, but I better write it down soon in case I get run over by a bus." Understandably, Davies didn't get into details – partly because it hasn't been written yet and partly because he's not going to spoil something that's still a year away. But it seems like the folks over at the BBC know what Davies is up to, and it left them "with jaws agape, loving it."

However, despite all of that, images "leaked" on social media showed Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and Piper on a set together during filming of… something. Was Davies lying the entire time, and was the Christmas Special already being filmed? Could this be for something other than the special? Well, it didn't take long before social media started picking apart the "big leak," and now, we have McGann on the record, calling out and scoffing at the image. Checking in with The Gerry Anderson Podcast hosts Jamie Anderson, Richard James, and Chris Dale, McGann touched on the topic, making it clear that it wasn't real (McGann: "If only!") while joking with the hosts that they were part of the problem when speculated that it could be true but McGann can't discuss it because he's under some kind of non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Make sure to check out the complete episode (waiting for you above), and here's the clip that James shared:

During an interview with Deadline Hollywood in early February, Zai Bennett, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of BBC Studios Global Content, addressed funding and the show's future. While noting that "we're all in it together" when it comes to the future of Doctor Who, Bennett didn't offer a direct response when asked whether BBC Studios would cover some of the funding lost after the Disney deal ended. "We're a big important part of 'Doctor Who' and are all motivated to make sure 'Doctor Who' has a long and flourishing life. We've got the Christmas special coming. After that, it's time for us all to work on it," Bennett noted, adding that he "won't speak for the BBC" or to its plans. In terms of the BBC, BBC Studios is the company's commercial production and distribution arm and is responsible for shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Bluey.

Speaking with Billy Barnell during a recent episode of the Half the Picture podcast (which you can check out below, with a shoutout to Cultbox for also getting the word out), composer Murray Gold offered a fascinating insight into Davies and how he's approaching the scripts for the Christmas Special. "I know that Russell's written, I think, multiple versions depending on certain outcomes… So that's all I really know, and I'm not sure I'm even supposed to know that," he shared. There are two ways to view that. On the one hand, multiple scripts are an effective way to keep spoilers from getting out – and "contingency" scripts are definitely not unheard of, as Gold explained. That said, it could also speak to just how many of the questions we listed above still remain unanswered, ten months before the Christmas Special hits.

Despite the rollercoaster ride that the long-running series has been on over the past few years, Gold is hopeful that Doctor Who will be back in fine form before we know it. "I think we're at a precarious point for 'Doctor Who.' I am hopeful that it's all going to be the start of a wonderful new era. So I really hope that that's what happens," he added. And before you ask, yes, Gold would definitely return to the series. "If someone asks me and says, 'Would you? Do you want to do it?' Of course, I would always say, 'Yes.' I don't think I'd ever say, 'No' to Russell anyway. It's fun, even when it's hard!" the composer shared.

Speaking with Deadline Hollywood in January 2026 for an exclusive interview about her run at the BBC and how the future is looking from a programming perspective, BBC Director of Drama Lindsay Salt was asked about the show's status and where things stand regarding the BBC, BBC Studios, and Bad Wolf potentially bringing another production partner aboard. The biggest headline-grabber for us was Salt, noting that talks focused on financing and the show's long-term future haven't gotten underway, and that the focus is on the Davies' Christmas Special.

"There are different ways of setting up a show. We just need to make sure we do it in the right way and make sure we take the right time to do it. Ultimately, it's one of the BBC's most treasured brands, so it's not going anywhere," Salt shared. "I managed to walk into this job when the co-pro market imploded, and I've learned a lot about the tenacity of producers and writers to make things at all budget levels. Things are getting funded in so many different ways now," she added.

Could that new partner be HBO/HBO Max? That's been the rumbling rumor over the past few months, with BBC Studios and Bad Wolf having made rather flattering comments about working with HBO/HBO Max on previous projects, such as Industry. Salt noted upcoming co-production projects from Richard Gadd and Michaela Coel as examples of how the BBC has been working with HBO/HBO Max, adding, "We'll wait and see how we figure it out. HBO have been great partners creatively. There's a lot of stuff that is changing out there."

If you head on over to the Doctor Who website and check out the UNIT section, there's a March 6th update from Shirley-Anne Bingham, Scientific Advisor, from the UNIT Tower in London, regarding "Rose Tyler (2006 Cold Case)" and a very interesting anniversary. "Sure I'm not the only one who's got this in their diary already, but today's the 20th anniversary of the return of Rose Tyler, who went 'missing' for one year after Operation Mannequin. Time absolutely flies!" read the notice from Bingham. "As Rose Tyler is currently both missing from this universe and flagged as a complex space-time event, maybe keep an eye out. I've got the Vlinx scanning all media channels and the subwave network."

If you're reading this, then we don't need to rehash what the future had in store for Rose Tyler beginning with 2006's S02E13: "Doomsday" and extending to 2008's S04E13: "Journey's End" (as well as a representation of Rose in 2013's 50th anniversary episode, "The Day of the Doctor"). Could this just be the show's online folks having a bit of fun with all of the rumblings out there? Sure. It could also be a tease for a Rose-related project on the horizon – maybe an audio drama from Big Finish. Let's not forget that we also have Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor fronting the big "Circuit Breaker" multimedia event later this year. Then again, maybe it is related in some way to the upcoming Christmas special or the show's future? Stay tuned…

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