Doctor Who’s Peter Davison Doesn’t Think Billie Piper Is the 16th Doctor

Peter Davison has expressed scepticism about Billie Piper’s appearance in the Series 15 cliffhanger of Doctor Who, describing the moment as “a hand grenade thrown into the final episode”.

The finale, “The Reality War”, of course ended with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerating into Piper. In a puzzling move, she was not credited as “The Doctor”. Instead, the credits read only “introducing Billie Piper”, leaving her true role unresolved and fuelling fan speculation.

Speaking to Starburst Magazine, the Fifth Doctor actor dismissed the idea that Piper was taking over the role. “It’s a completely mad idea. I don’t think she is the Doctor,” he said. “I think it’s kind of just a hand grenade thrown into the final episode to try and go ‘whoa, what’s this?’ And then it’s almost like ‘get out of that’.”

Davison also believes Piper is unlikely to commit to the demands of a full-time role these days. “She’s got a great career, and she’s got options galore. I don’t know why she would voluntarily choose to go back to Cardiff for a year,” he said, referring to the lengthy filming schedule for a full series.

Despite his thoughts about the twist, Davison praised Piper’s previous work on Doctor Who, calling her “the best companion there’s been”. “That is partly because she was written in a different way. It was almost like she was the centre of the story. You were seeing the Doctor through her eyes,” he said.

The BBC has still not confirmed whether Piper is intended to be the Sixteenth Doctor or something else entirely, such as a version of the Bad Wolf or The Moment.

For now, Davison’s scepticism reflects the uncertainty surrounding the finale and Doctor Who itself at the moment. Whether Piper’s return marks a lasting change or a fleeting twist remains an open question, and for some, an unwelcome one.