Latest news with #SixteenthDoctor
Metro
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Danny Dyer wants to play Doctor Who - here's why he should
Ever since Ncuti Gatwa handed back his Tardis key and stepped away from Doctor Who, I've known who should play the Sixteenth Doctor – Danny Dyer. Now, before you get your Tom Baker scarf in a knot or hire a Dalek to exterminate me, this isn't a gag or an attempt at contrarianism. I genuinely believe Danny should get a spin in the Tardis, and I even wrote about it back in April before Ncuti burned away to reveal Billie Piper's smiling face. Well, it turns out that the 47-year-old actor must be a Metro reader because he agrees with me. During a recent interview with The Mirror, Danny said that while he's never been asked to audition for The Doctor, he'd be well up for it. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. 'It's such an iconic thing to do,' he said. 'It's almost – not on the same level – like James Bond. It's a character that's loved by so many.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Again, it gives you an opportunity with Doctor Who, because of the nature of the work, to bring something left-field, something a bit mental, a bit stylised, which I love. I love the idea of it. So why am I so convinced that Danny – who's better known for playing crime lords than time lords – would make a good Doctor? Well, I can't say it's because I think he'd look great in a velvet Victorian frock coat (although he might?). It's more than I believe every actor who's ever played the Doctor well needs three essential qualities, and Danny more than meets the criteria. The first is that they need to be likeable. Check. Any time I see Danny Dyer as himself (I wouldn't say most of the characters he plays are likeable), I think he comes across as incredibly sincere and earnest. Yeah, I know he swears a bit, but honestly, who doesn't? And all it does is lend him a bit of authenticity. Don't believe me? Just watch his episode of The Assembly and try not to be charmed by him. It's impossible. Danny's just got a genuineness and consistency to his character that makes him really hard to dislike. The second thing is that anyone who's playing the Doctor needs to be a good actor, and I'm sorry, but Danny has proven he's every bit as talented as the Time Lords who came before him. Ignoring all the awards he's won for acting (including, most recently, a Bafta for Mr Bigstuff), it's clear we're a long way away from the days when he was presenting Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men and seemed more like someone interested in being on the telly than in acting. You might think 'he just plays tough men like Mick Carter, Tommy Johnson, and Moff'; that he plays the same character in every show. But that hot take ignores his real skill. What he does exceptionally well is to breathe pathos, a sense of weakness, into these tough nuts that makes them easy to sympathise with, even if we can't always understand their actions. You know who that sounds an awful lot like to me? The Doctor, a being who puts on a front to hide his loneliness and vulnerabilities, and sometimes makes terrible calls. Oh, and before you start saying that Danny lacks range, just watch him in Rivals and Mr Bigstuff. In those shows, he proves he can be every bit as tender, loving, and funny as we'd expect the Doctor to be. Finally, then I think the Doctor must have an arc. Admittedly, this has more to do with scripts than the actor, but I think Danny's persona here would be a valuable asset for the show. Everyone knows Dyer as a 'cockney hardman' who's the furthest thing from the traditional Doctor. But why not lean into that? I imagine him as a mash-up of the Third, Ninth and Twelfth Doctors. A bad-tempered figure who's as passionate and brave as ever, but not afraid to spark out a mouthy Sontaran when they get out of line. More Trending His arc then could be similar to Peter Capaldi's Doctor, who went from a galaxy-sized grump to the kindest person to ever pilot the Tardis. That happened over three series and made for brilliant TV. More than that, it arguably gave us the best season of Doctor Who since the revival – Series 10. Ultimately, what I'm saying is Doctor Who is dying (perhaps it's Dyer-ing) and Danny might just be the fresh face the show and the Doctor needs. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: The Celebrity Traitors 'confirmed' cast salaries make me feel incredibly uneasy MORE: I've heard enough words – I want more Government action on Israel-Palestine MORE: MasterChef will release unaired John Torode and Gregg Wallace series, BBC confirms
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Will Doctor Who get another season? Showrunner admits he isn't sure
Doctor Who is among BBC's longest-running series, starting all the way back in 1963. After an extended hiatus that lasted throughout the '90s, the series was relaunched to great success in 2005, and has been going strong ever since. However, the series has endured a slump in recent years, to the point that even the current showrunner is uncertain about where the show will go moving forward. In his regular column for the Doctor Who Magazine, showrunner Russell T Davies admitted that plans for continuing the series are still in flux, writing: "We don't know what's happening yet. and while everyone works that out, I'll take a pause on this page... Hopefully, we'll have news soon." Davies had previously revealed that the recent episodes of Doctor Who had been cofinanced by Disney, and that he had hopes to produce the series on an annual basis. This pause in the series production was further corroborated in a report from Deadline, where a source embedded in the production stated: 'This letter is a production notes diary for when the show is in production, or on air, and as Russell has stated within the piece, it is a pause.' The Fifteenth Doctor's tenure ends with rampant speculation The Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, ended his two-season run on 31st May, with 'The Reality War' concluding his story arc and ending with his regeneration. Following his exit, the episode ended with a cliffhanger appearance by Billie Piper, who's previously played the role of companion Rose Tyler on the show. The ambiguity surrounding the reveal has fueled heavy fan theorizing about whether or not Billie Piper will indeed take over as the new Doctor, something that the show's own marketing learned into while promoting the next Doctor Who Magazine. Billie Piper is... this month's #DoctorWho Magazine cover star!Get an inside look at the revelations of the Doctor Who: Season 2 finale - Subscribe and get each issue delivered direct to your door ➡️ While Billie Piper taking over as the Sixteenth Doctor would be an obvious conclusion to draw from 'The Reality War' episode's ending, a number of decisions both within the episode, and the show's past history, muddy the waters a bit. For instance, the episode credits call both Ncuti Gatwa and Jodie Whittaker the Doctor, but not Billie Piper herself. Furthermore, the series has broken from its conventional regeneration process in the past, notably with the Fifteenth Doctor Himself, who originally coexisted with David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor thanks to the plot device of bigeneration. Most importantly, however, the recent production struggles and impending hiatus of the series mean that no production plans are set in stone as of yet, so there's no telling what form Doctor Who will take when it finally makes a return.
Wales Online
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Doctor Who animated series coming to CBeebies
Doctor Who animated series coming to CBeebies The TARDIS will be landing on the pre-school channel The BBC has announced a new Doctor Who animation for CBeebies. The TARDIS will be landing on the pre-school channel and the BBC is searching for a production company to create and produce the series, which will run independently from the main television series, which is overseen by showrunner Russell T. Davies. Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children's and Education, said: "Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor! "This much-loved franchise entertains millions around the world, so it is only right that our younger audience get to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format. "This is an extremely exciting opportunity, and we are looking forward to welcoming companies to pitch for this new project, as we continue our commitment and investment in the UK's animation industry." The Doctor Who animated series will run for 26 episodes across 2027 and 2028 and a further 26 episodes across 2028 and 2029. Article continues below The pitch for the animated series states that "the BBC is looking for a passionate production company to create and produce the series, which will run independently from the main show, that will see the Doctor travelling through time and space for the pre-school audience, solving mysteries and problems alongside their companions and other friends. And, of course, they may come up against one or two challenges on their way...". The deadline for initial submissions is 10 July 2025. The announcement of the new CBeebies animated series comes after Ncuti Gatwa left his role as the Fifteenth Doctor in the finale of the most recent series titled The Reality War. Viewers saw Ncuti's Time Lord regenerate into Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler in Doctor Who for several years. It is not yet known if Billie is the Sixteenth Doctor or Rose or a different character. Following the surprise regeneration, Russell said: "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." Article continues below On her shock return, Billie said: "It's no secret how much I love this show, 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 who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see."
Metro
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
New Doctor Who rumours have fans worried show is 'out of ideas'
Fans of Doctor Who have shared their concern that the beloved BBC show is 'running out of ideas' following a new rumour that former Time Lord David Tennant is set to reprise his role on the show. As its two-part series finale concluded last week, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) sparked a shock regeneration while tapping into the heart of the TARDIS to shift reality itself. In doing so, he succeeded in saving Space Baby Poppy, pulling her into a reality where Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) had always been her mother. However, this use of his Time Lord energy came at a cost – and, after bidding farewell to Belinda, the Doctor began to regenerate into his Sixteenth form. (Re)enter Billie Piper, whose face replaced Ncuti's in a blast of regeneration energy. 'Oh hello,' grinned the one-time Rose Tyler as the end credits rolled, seemingly taking his place as the Sixteenth Doctor. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. But is all as it seems? As speculation blazes on that this new 'Doctor' may not be all she seems, another rumoured return has fans worried that the show is becoming far too reliant on its own past. In a rumour reported by The Sun, Billie's casting is set to facilitate a return from another face from recent history – former Tenth Doctor David. 'There is talk about a possible one-off project to celebrate the 20th anniversary. David and Billie were a hugely popular partnership and he brought in a golden age of Doctor Who,' an insider told the tabloid. 'With the anniversary of the reboot this year, there have been some ideas floated about, with the thought of maybe bringing David and Billie back together for one last hurrah.' If (and it's a big if!) true, this would be the third time David has returned to the role since his exit in 2010. Following a crossover episode with Matt Smith in 2013, David officially regenerated back into himself in 2023, becoming the Fourteenth Doctor for three special episodes. Reacting to this speculative news on X, fans shared their fears for the show's future, with IanOTimelord writing: 'No, no, no. [series showrunner Russell T Davies] needs to go if true. He's run out of ideas. The brand is wounded.' 'The current show runners appear to have run out of ideas then?' said Squarepush33279. 'I wish the good writers made a comeback' joked and_catch_fire. 'Russell needs to move on!' exclaimed CHG3899. With Doctor Who's return date yet to be confirmed by either the BBC or its overlords at Disney, it remains unknown why Billie is back… or who she's really playing. In the end credits to Saturday's episode, both Ncuti and Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker were given their formal title, while Billie got a more cryptic 'introducing' credit. This has led to speculation that she may not be playing The Doctor at all… which is possibly for the best, if previous statements are anything to go by. 'I don't think the Doctor should be a woman,' she told HELLO! back in 2009. She added: 'Forgive me, I know it's not a feminist thing to say, but it's like saying, 'Let's make James Bond a woman'. It's a man's role.' Thankfully, she changed her tune eight years later, just in time for Jodie to take on the role. 'I think it would be great [to have a female Doctor] given the spirit of the world at the moment. I think it would be timely,' Billie said. A popular fan theory suggests that Billie/Rose's return to Doctor Who may have something to do with the 2005 episode The Parting of the Ways. In the series finale's climax, Rose unleashed the heart of the TARDIS to save the universe from Dalek extermination. With the energy she had absorbed set to kill Rose, The Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) took it into himself – causing his regeneration into David Tennant. Rose and her new Doctor quickly hit it off, sparking a romance between the Time Lord and his companion which was cut short when she became trapped in an alternate reality with only her mum and the Doctor's Meta-Crisis doppelganger for company. Since then, she has returned to the franchise for three spin-off audio adventures, as well as a surprise cameo (but not as Rose!) in 2013's Day of The Doctor crossover. Our Deputy TV Editor Tom Percival shares his thoughts… While David Tennant has shown an impressive dedication to Doctor Who (returning not once but twice), an imminent return seems unlikely. The Rivals star has been pretty emphatic that after the 60th anniversary, he's keen to take a break from the show, and to be honest, I think that's the right attitude. One of the big issues with the series in recent years is its reliance on nostalgia. With that in mind, I fear bringing him back for a third time risks making Doctor Who into the David Tennant show and robbing the series of its identity. As the 11th Doctor once said, 'We all change when you think about it… And that's okay, that's good. You've got to keep moving.' This has led some to wonder whether the events of The Parting of the Ways are still in play, leading to some residual 'Bad Wolf' energy in Ncuti's surprise regeneration. Billie herself has kept quiet on the specifics, instead celebrating her return to the franchise with a post on Instagram. More Trending 'A rose is a rose is a rose !!!' she wrote as she posted a series of pictures to her account – including snaps of herself as Rose Tyler. She then signed off with a cartoon wolf hidden among two rose emojis. Might this comment hint at her character's true nature? Only time will tell. View More » The BBC declined to comment when approached by Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Doctor Who's finale infuriated fans – but the next series will fix everything' MORE: Doctor Who fans fume that character was 'butchered' as actor speaks out on exit MORE: Rivals fans – prepare to go wild over first look at David Tennant in season 2
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Is Why Doctor Who Fans Aren't All Convinced That Billie Piper Is Really The New Doctor
Doctor Who fans across the world were gagged on Saturday night when Billie Piper made an unexpected return to the franchise. After weeks of speculation about whether Ncuti Gatwa's time as The Doctor was coming to an end in the not-too-distant future, the most recent finale saw his character regenerating, after two seasons at the helm of the Tardis. What few could have foreseen would be that his character would regenerate into what appears to be a new incarnation of The Doctor, played by Billie Piper. Billie Piper IS the new Doctor 💙💫 # — Andrew McBride (@andrewmcb) May 31, 2025 Billie, of course, already has a long history with Doctor Who, starring in the role of Rose Tyler when the reboot first began airing 20 years ago. The Olivier winner's unexpected appearance led to a wide array of pretty much every reaction possible on social media, and a slew of headlines hailing her arrival as The Sixteenth Doctor. However, other fans are not convinced it's as simple as that. At the end of the first season of the Doctor Who revival, Rose ended up absorbing the heart of Tardis, becoming a new omniscient entity known as 'Bad Wolf'. Billie most recently appeared in Doctor Who for its 50th anniversary special, this time playing a different being altogether, known as 'The Moment'. So, given the fact that Billie has repeatedly popped up in the long-running sci-fi saga as a variety of different entities – not everyone in the Whovian fandom believes that her latest appearance necessarily means she's the new Doctor. Tellingly, her appearance in the final credits says simply 'introducing Billie Piper' rather than 'introducing Billie Piper as The Doctor', which is traditionally the terminology used when ushering in a new incarnation of the Time Lord… I didn't see one of these yesterday with everyone from Modern Who so I made one myself. But, there's something missing on the last one… #DoctorWho#doctorwhospoilers#DoctorWhofinale#TheRealityWar#ncutigatwa#billiepiper# — 𝓛𝓲𝓼𝓪 (𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓻𝔂'𝓼 𝓥𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷)💌🍒🍉🥝 (@LisasBeautySpot) June 1, 2025 Now did they forget to put Billie Piper as The Doctor or is there something else going on… — ᏝᏋᏇᎥᏕ (@SalamiSandwich4) May 31, 2025 Okay but where is the 'as the Doctor' in the credits # — beth 🫧🧚🏻✨🪩🌷 (@itsmebethh_) May 31, 2025 The fact that this does not have the words 'as the Doctor' is going to fuel a gazillion over-monetised clickbait YouTube takes between now and the start of the next series. # — Russell Merryman (@merryarty) May 31, 2025 Everyone failing to notice that Billie Piper was not 'introduced' as the Doctor in the credits, just as Billie Piper. She's clearly not the Doctor but some Bad Wolf shenanigans # — Horror Enjoyer (@TjHArtwork) May 31, 2025 call me deluded but billie posted this emphasising rose and the credits make no mention of the doctor when normally it always says introducing x as the doctor ???? are we being conned # — becky | dw era (@rinaswarkles) May 31, 2025 WHATTTTTBillie Piper is the 16th Doctor Billie Piper has played the famous Rose Tyler, the bad wolf and NOW the Doctor WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW # — Safe Space Who (@SafeSpaceDrWho) May 31, 2025 The lack of 'as The Doctor' discourse will power the fandom for a decade # — Ryan Love (@RyanJL) May 31, 2025 BILLIE PIPER IS THE 16TH DOCTORNO SHES NOTYES SHE ISfor the next 2 years omfg let me out of this hell — clara oswald akgae (@oswinfilms) June 1, 2025 Our favourite post of them all, though, has to be this one… #DoctorWho Billie Piper predicting her own regeneration 16 years ago in the music video for her single, "Because We Want To"! — Alan 🇵🇱 | JUSTYNA ❤️🩹 (@ThatAlann) June 1, 2025 After the episode aired, Billie teased: 'It's no secret how much I love this show, 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 who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see...' Showrunner Russell T Davies also said: 'Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she's done it again! 'It's an honour and a hoot to welcome her 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!' The Doctor has previously regenerated into a familiar face once before, when Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth became a new version of the Time Lord, played by David Tennant in his second stint in charge of the Tardis. It's not yet clear whether a new season of Doctor Who is currently on the cards, with tabloid speculation about the show being 'rested' at the end of its latest run. Last month, a BBC spokesperson told HuffPost UK: 'As we have previously stated, the decision on season three will be made after season two airs and any other claims are just pure speculation.' BBC Sets The Record Straight On Latest Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who 'Axe' Claims Doctor Who Boss Russell T Davies Has A Message For Critics Who Think The Show Is Too 'Woke' So THAT's Why Doctor Who's Tardis Is Stuck As A Police Box
