Shaun Dingwall, who played Rose Tyler’s father, Pete, says he’d like to see Billie Piper actually playing the next lead in Doctor Who.

Piper seemingly debuted as the Sixteenth Doctor at the conclusion of The Reality War; however, that cliffhanger is unlikely to be picked up and Billie herself has assured fans she’s not playing the Doctor. Nonetheless, Shaun has enthused:

“I had no idea [about the regeneration]. I don’t think it’d be weird for Billie to be the Doctor, but that’s the thing about it: of course, it’s weird, but Doctor Who has this incredible ability to turn things that are weird into normal. It is its strength, and its superpower in a way. Some fans might not like it, but it’s not going to work for everybody, and it is going to work for others.

“I think she’d make a good Doctor — I do — and she’d be really interesting. I think any good actor can make a good Doctor, as it’s also so much about the writing. If you’re a great actor and you’ve got terrible scripts, that’s hard. So it’s about that combination… Would I be happy with Billie as the Doctor? Yeah, god yeah, of course! I’d be even happier if they asked me!”

Shaun played Pete in Father’s Day, but then returned the following season as a version of the same character in a parallel world.

And he clearly loved his time on the series, and the reception from fans as he explained:

“I can never believe how time flies, particularly when it comes to Doctor Who. It’s one of those things that will just go on forever, I imagine. It’s incredible really… I’ve done a few conventions in the past, and it’s just so interesting meeting fans, as you meet such a diverse bunch of people with Doctor Who. It’s a very satisfying thing for anyone in the creative industry to know that our work is going out a bit; it’s a good feeling.”

We’re very unlikely to see Pete again and that’s probably for the best: time moves on and we can leave things happy in the past.

Nonetheless, Shaun seems like a lovely chap and always part of the Doctor Who family.