Billie Piper has once again confirmed that her appearance in the latest episode of Doctor Who, The Reality War, was a last-minute thing.

Piper was seen at the very end of the story, with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor seemingly regenerating into her. When asked about this scene, she explained:

“I got the call last minute; it was to shoot in a hidden location, and there were only a few people who knew about it. And I wasn’t able to say anything to anyone, including the people I loved the most in my life. And I actually really like having a secret… I’m so available to my family all the time. I actually like having something for myself. So I really relished that secret.”

Billie, who previously played Ninth and Tenth Doctor companion, Rose Tyler, might be the Sixteenth Doctor, but we don’t know. Even the credits didn’t confirm whether she was playing the Doctor or not, so this could be a trick. Or, we can infer from Piper’s comments and a few things we’ve heard in the past, no one knows because it was a last-minute decision made apparently by showrunner, Russell T Davies.

Rumours have swirled that Ncuti’s regeneration was going to be open-ended, but this changed roughly when Series 15 started airing, at which point Piper stepped in, hence some rather rushed CGI.

Everything is very much up in the air right now — we don’t know when or even if a new series of Doctor Who will be commissioned or when; however, the BBC assures us the franchise has a future, with or without Disney’s backing, and we assume with or without Piper attached. Based on the rather shaky reception The Reality War received, we don’t reckon this new direction will be pursued for very long, but we shall see…