Ncuti Gatwa Bids Doctor Who Farewell As Finale Ends With A Most Surprising Twist — Grade It!

By Matt Webb Mitovich
Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa Leaving Courtesy of BBC Studios

The following contains spoilers from the Season 15 finale of Doctor Who, "The Reality War," now streaming on Disney+.

When all was said and done, the return of the Rani was far from the biggest deal in the Doctor Who season finale.

Rather, the headline coming out of "The Reality War" is that Ncuti Gatwa's run as the Doctor is over after two seasons — and the Time Lord's new form is that of franchise vet Billie Piper!

"This journey has been one that I will never forget," Gatwa said in a statement, "and a role that will be part of me forever."

Said showrunner Russell T Davies, "What a Doctor! Thank you, Ncuti! As his final words say, this has been an absolute joy, and the team in Cardiff and everyone who has worked on this show for the past few years are so lucky to have been part of Ncuti's great adventure as he shoots off to stratospheric new heights."

Piper — who notably was not billed as The Doctor in the closing credits (which instead just said, "Introducing Billie Piper") — said, "It's no secret how much I love this show," having played companion Rose Tyler in the mid-aughts (alongside Christopher Eccleston and then David Tennant), "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 [as for] who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see," she teased. (Note: Doctor Who has not yet been renewed.)

Now, what all led up to this surprising regeneration?

doctor who billie piper

OMEGA UNLEASHED!

To be clear, the Rani (played by Archie Panjabi and Anita Dobson) did take their big swing, thinning reality enough to allow access to Omega the original Time Lord, who'd been exiled to the Underverse. But when Omega emerged from his prison to reveal himself as the monstrous Mad God all feared he was, he began feasting — literally — on Time Lords, starting with having Panjabi's character for a snack. Dobson's Rani in turn quickly and wisely exited stage left, using a Time Ring.

The Doctor used the Vindicator, now a part of the Palace clock, to blast Omega with the power of a billion supernovas, forcing him back into his cage. As the Wish World created by Conrad began melting away, the Doctor opened the Zero Room he'd had UNIT quickly build to protect Belinda and their "impossible" daughter, Poppy — and both were still existent! But when the Doctor, Belinda, Poppy and Ruby Sunday returned to the TARDIS, and the Doctor and Belinda began excitedly making plans for their family's time-hopping future, Ruby clocked that Poppy's coat was getting smaller and smaller as it was handed back and forth between the tot's parents. By the time the coat disappeared completely, so had the Doctor and Belinda's memories of Poppy.

GONE, BABY, GONE

doctor who finale jodie whitaker

A crestfallen Ruby did her best to convince the Doctor and Belinda of their daughter's existence, all for naught — at first. But once back at UNIT, it was noted that the post-Wish World reality had shifted one degree, resulting in other tiny changes, such as Ernest Borgnine now being alive. The Doctor and Belinda came to accept that Poppy did exist and still might, somewhere, so the Doctor slipped away in the TARDIS and used a regenerational blast to try to set things right. (Along the way, he received a quick visit from Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, which in the moment sure felt like the finale's biggest twist.)

In the wake of letting loose with the regenerational pulse that "shattered" our screens, the Doctor came to in the back yard of Belinda Chandra's home, and reunited with his companion — and with Poppy, who was inside the house, happily playing with toys. Belinda clearly has no recollection of the close call with her daughter, and in fact a beau named Ritchie is now Poppy's father, she made clear. She said that Poppy all along was the reason she so desperately needed to get home to May 24, 2025 (at 7:30 am), because she needed to relieve her mother, who watched the tyke during night shifts. The Doctor in turn recalled memories in which Belinda now mentioned to him Poppy, and Ritchie — re-edited in the post-Wish reality. He then bid his companion a sad adieu and returned to the TARDIS.

Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa Leaving Billie Piper Returns Courtesy of BBC Studios

Once the TARDIS took flight, a regeneration that the Doctor had fought off in previous scenes could be denied no more, and with the usual light show, he was given a new face — Billie Piper's. (Watch the transition below.)

Said showrunner Davies, "It's an honour and a hoot to welcome [Billie] back 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!"

Want scoop on Doctor Who, or for any other TV show? Shoot an email to InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt's Inside Line!

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