Posted in: BBC, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who: Paul McGann Addresses McGann/Billie Piper Image "Leak"

On the latest episode of The Gerry Anderson Podcast, Doctor Who star Paul McGann addressed a "leaked" image of him on-set with Billie Piper.

In October, we learned that Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T. Davies would be writing a Christmas Special for 2026, 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 shared 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."

When Doctor Who Magazine #624 hit earlier this month, we learned that Davies had 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 shared with 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."

But despite all of that, images "leaked" on social media showing Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and Billie Piper, possibly our next Doctor, on a set together in the middle of filming 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:

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