Doctor Who icon Christopher Eccleston reveals his verdict on Billie Piper taking on Time Lord role

Doctor Who legend Christopher Eccleston has shared his support for Billie Piper after the shock regeneration twist at the end of last season.

The last episode to hit screens, The Reality War, saw Ncuti Gatwa's departing Fifteenth Doctor regenerate into Piper. She hasn't been confirmed as the Doctor, so many are wondering if there's more going on with her character than meets the eye.

Piper made her Doctor Who debut as companion Rose Tyler in 2005, alongside Eccleston's Ninth Doctor. In 2022, Eccleston suggested Piper should take on the role of the Time Lord – and now he's backed her once again.

Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival on 29 March, the actor was asked about his previous prediction and laughed: "Exactly, I'm a prophet!"

He went on to say of the role (according to OxfordMail): "Give it to Billie! Yeah, why not? Why not."

Piper hasn't given much away about her return to Doctor Who, saying after The Reality War aired: "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."

Presumably, fans will get some answers in this year's Christmas special, which is being written by showrunner Russell T Davies.

Eccleston and Piper fronted the reboot of Doctor Who together, when the show was brought back to screens by writer Davies.

While Eccleston stayed for just one season, Piper stayed for another with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, and returned for one-off appearances in later episodes.

The actor, who has reprised his role as the Ninth Doctor for Big Finish's audio adventures, also recently opened up about what could get him to return to the role on-screen, despite previously ruling out a return to the show.

"Here’s the thing: Doctor Who’s written for boys," he responded. "There has never been a female showrunner of Doctor Who."

He continued: "So my dream is this: there was a little girl who was, I don’t know — six, seven, eight — in 2005 when my series went out, and she gets the job, and she asked me back? I’d go back like a shot.”

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