Despite Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper at the end of the most recent episode of Doctor Who, showrunner Russell T Davies has said he has “no idea” whether Piper is actually playing the Sixteenth Doctor.

Piper appeared at the cliffhanger of The Reality War, a surprise for anyone who hadn’t read the leaks for the Series 15 finale, which also revealed that Omega would be a bag of bones, Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor would appear, and that Gatwa would indeed leave the franchise after just two truncated seasons as the Doctor.

But when asked whether Piper would be playing the Doctor, Davies replied:

“I have no idea.”

Yes, he’s dodging the question. Or perhaps he really has no idea. To be frank, we believe the latter, especially considering rumours that Gatwa’s departure was a last-minute decision based on the uncertainty around the show’s future and that, at one point, this was to be an open-ended regeneration. Piper was apparently brought in very late, hence the rushed look of the regeneration.

Even Doctor Who Magazine questioned whether she was the next Doctor; ditto, the closing credits for The Reality War didn’t “introduce” her as the Sixteenth Doctor.

Davies is under a lot of heat right now, so we don’t blame him dodging the question. He’s probably damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. Nonetheless, it doesn’t inspire confidence because if anyone knows, it should be him. It’s all rather depressing.

I’m hoping this is a trick by the Toymaker, changing the Doctor’s face temporarily, but it appears our theories are just as valid as Davies’ right now because the series is on hiatus anyway.