This ‘Doctor Who’ Theory Suggests Billie Piper Isn’t The Doctor, but Another Time Lord

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While many fans believe Billie Piper will be the next Doctor in Doctor Who, a compelling idea suggests she might play another famous Time Lord instead. After the surprising regeneration in the Season 15 finale, “The Reality War,” viewers were stunned to see Billie Piper appear at the end of the episode. She’s scheduled to be in the Doctor Who Christmas special in 2026, but showrunner Russell T Davies hasn’t confirmed if she’ll be playing the Doctor herself.

Although Doctor Who is confirmed to continue for now, fans are eager to see what the next season will bring. Many believe Billie Piper will be the Sixteenth Doctor, but the show is known for its surprises, and things are rarely straightforward. While Piper could reprise her role as the Doctor, Rose Tyler, or even the powerful entity known as the Moment, there’s an interesting theory suggesting she might be playing a different, well-known character instead.

Billie Piper Has Not Been Confirmed as the Sixteenth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’ Yet

Currently, the biggest mystery surrounding Doctor Who is the identity of Billie Piper’s new character. While she previously played Rose Tyler and the embodiment of the Time War’s end – the Moment – in the 50th anniversary special, appearing alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor after his regeneration doesn’t automatically mean she’s become the next Doctor. As Doctor Who fans know, the show rarely offers simple answers.

This scene is very short, focusing mainly on Piper’s reaction, which hints at a hidden complexity. While this was probably to conceal a major plot twist, Doctor Who generally avoids revealing story details prematurely. This suggests that what happens next might be more complicated than it initially appears.

Traditionally, when a new Doctor is introduced after regenerating, the show includes a credit specifically naming the actor. However, Ncuti Gatwa didn’t receive this introduction, which is unusual. Until showrunner Russell T Davies clarifies things, it’s possible Gatwa isn’t playing the Doctor as we expect. This has led to a fan theory: while the Doctor did regenerate into the Fifteenth Doctor, perhaps Gatwa is portraying a different character entirely.

Billie Piper is Playing Susan Foreman in ‘Doctor Who’ Theory, Explained


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To really grasp this idea, it helps to remember the finale of Doctor Who Season 14. The return of Sutekh, a powerful god who hadn’t been seen since the Fourth Doctor’s adventures, was a major surprise. Even more surprisingly, it’s revealed he’d been connected to the TARDIS for centuries! However, because he’s defeated so quickly, it’s easy to overlook just how he managed to do that.

As a huge fan of ‘Pyramids of Mars,’ I’ve always been fascinated by how Sutekh ended up following the Doctor. The story says the Doctor sent him away through a time corridor, and Sutekh claims he immediately latched onto the TARDIS. But knowing Sutekh could see through time and set things up in advance – like with Susan Triad – makes me wonder. We have to take his word for it that he jumped onto the TARDIS right away, but it’s entirely possible he stayed in that time corridor for a while and was just trying to mislead us about when he escaped.

The show Doctor Who hinted that Susan Triad might actually be Susan Foreman, but later proved this wasn’t true. Still, it seems unlikely Sutekh wouldn’t have known about the Doctor’s granddaughter, especially considering the elaborate trap he set. One idea is that Sutekh kidnapped Susan Foreman from the time stream and held her captive inside the TARDIS as a way to control the Doctor.

Even though stories about characters like Susan and Sutekh have appeared in Doctor Who books and audio dramas, the events shown on the TV show itself are usually considered the definitive version of events. This means details from those extended stories aren’t always part of the official Doctor Who story.

There’s evidence suggesting Susan is trapped in the Doctor’s present time. In “The Interstellar Song Contest,” when the Doctor sees a vision of Susan, she’s inside the current TARDIS, which looks different from the one she used during her original adventures. This implies she can’t return to her own time. Furthermore, the TARDIS has safety features that activate when the Doctor is in danger, and this scene shows the Doctor facing a life-threatening situation in space, making the activation of these features likely.

It’s strange that Susan is appearing now, and not sooner. It probably has something to do with the Doctor and Ruby defeating Sutekh, which seems to be making her signal clearer. However, the strange glitches might also be a factor. Originally, a planned storyline revealed Poppy as Susan’s mother, explaining the origins of the very first companion. In that scene, Susan and Poppy would have observed the Doctor, Ruby, and Belinda celebrating, but wouldn’t have interacted with them. Given that Poppy seems to be a glitch herself, it’s possible Susan is one too. The fact that Poppy disappears right before the glitches stop could be significant.

So, when the Fifteenth Doctor hits the TARDIS controls with energy from his regeneration, it creates a chance for Susan to get away. This isn’t the first time a Time Lord has switched bodies – it’s happened a lot in both the older and newer versions of Doctor Who – and the theory is that Susan seizes this opportunity. It’s a mystery why Niamh Blackshaw was cast as Susan instead of a new actress or the original Susan actress, Carole Ann Ford, but that’s typical of Doctor Who. Perhaps the reason she looks like the ‘Bad Wolf’ is simply because she came from the Time Vortex.

Ever since “The Reality War” aired, fans have been speculating about the role Piper will play in the 2026 Doctor Who Christmas special. Some are hoping to see Rose Tyler return, while others think she might be playing the Moment from “The Day of the Doctor.” But a lot of people haven’t considered a key possibility: Piper isn’t playing Rose, the Moment, or even the Doctor—she’s actually Susan Foreman.

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2025-12-17 20:10