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Doctor Who star Varada Sethu reveals why she was "surprised" by reaction to controversial ending
"I was really surprised by how people reacted to that."
BBC
- Louise Griffin
Published: Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at 5:22 pm
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Doctor Who star Varada Sethu has weighed in on the controversial ending to her final episode, The Reality War, admitting she was "surprised" by the reaction to it.
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Sethu played Belinda Chandra, companion to Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, during season 15 of the beloved sci-fi, which ended with the dramatic episode The Reality War.
The episode saw the Doctor sacrificing himself to bring Poppy, the daughter he and Belinda had together in an alternate world, back into reality. After doing so, he visited Belinda, and learned that in this new version of reality, Poppy was Belinda's daughter with a man named Ritchie, who she was no longer with. This had been the reason Belinda had been desperate to get home ever since the start of the season.
The ending proved hugely divisive, with many fans left unimpressed with how Belinda's story ended.
Varada Sethu as Belinda, Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim in Doctor Who. BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon
Now speaking on The Whoniverse Show, Sethu said: "I was really surprised by how people reacted to that.
"I really loved that she got to be a mother because it felt weird to lose Poppy. It felt really, really sad for her to lose her and for her to be this alternate reality that Belinda won’t ever be able to keep. It was really sad. I quite liked that Belinda got to be a mum and that it’s with Poppy and that Poppy gets to live."
The episode ended with Gatwa's Doctor regenerating into returning star Billie Piper - although it was never confirmed if she would be playing the next Doctor, or if there was more to the story.
However, Doctor Who is set to be off screen for some time as it's been put out to competitive tender.
It has been reported that production companies who have thrown their hats into the ring to produce the show include Jed Mercurio's company, Hat Trick Mercurio, as well as Line of Duty production company World Productions, STV Studios, and two different BBC Studios labels.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.
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Authors
Louise GriffinSci-Fi and Fantasy Editor
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
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