Billie Piper tried her best to answer fan questions regarding her role in the final Doctor Who Season Two episode at For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi convention in London.

The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) seemingly regenerated into her form in the Doctor Who Season Two finale The Reality War, leaving fans uncertain as to whether she may be the next Doctor.

“I am not the next Doctor. I am Rose Tyler in hiatus,” Piper cautiously clarified.

“Sorry, that’s a really cryptic answer but because I’m not currently filming Doctor Who as the Doctor, I can’t, you know, lie and say otherwise.”

“Ugh! Sweating! I hate this.”

Piper urged patience while the BBC prepares to put the programme out to tender, expressing confidence in the outcome.

“You’ve all got to be very patient because it will be worth it when it comes.”

“It’s been around for a very long time. It’s a massively been successful and it’s impacted so many people’s lives positively.”

“I’ve had a bit of a rough time lately,” she admitted. “and I think everyone just needs to chill out and wait for the, you know, what comes from having space and time.”

It can’t be easy being the actress at the centre of a perplexing narrative decision preceding what will likely be a years-long wait for a resolution.

On 10 June 2026, the BBC announced its intention to offer Doctor Who for competitive tender “this year.” This will allow production companies to pitch for the chance to create more Doctor Who. Before this process can begin, the BBC must post its Invitation to Tender (ITT) document with the requisite parameters on its commissioning website.