Billie Piper Says ‘Doctor Who’ Fans Need To “Chill Out” After Sci-Fi Show’s “Rough Time”

Billie Piper is feeling relaxed about the future of Doctor Who, even if fans are concerned that the sci-fi series is in something of a spin at the BBC.

The British actress urged people to “chill out” about the Time Lord after the BBC ditched a Christmas special episode and announced a creative rethink on the drama, which will involve showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf abandoning ship.

Speaking at the For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi convention in London, Piper said: “It’s had a bit of a rough time lately, and I think everyone just needs to chill out and wait for what comes from having space… and time.”

Season 15 ended with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor appearing to regenerate into Piper’s Rose Tyler. Piper told the For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi audience that she is not the next Doctor.

“I am not the next Doctor. I am Rose Tyler in hiatus,” she said. “Sorry, that’s a really cryptic answer, but because I’m not currently filming Doctor Who as the Doctor, I can’t lie and say otherwise. I’m sweating. I hate this.”

She continued: “I think you’ve all got to be very patient because it’ll be worth it when it comes. And I think that we need to celebrate the fact that the [revived] show has … been around for a very long time, it’s massively successful, and it’s impacting so many people’s lives positively.”

The BBC announced that it will embark on a competitive tender for Season 16, in which producers will pitch in a bake-off-style process to regenerate the sci-fi series.

 The BBC said the decision to cancel the Christmas episode was “not taken lightly” and acknowledged that the news would be “disappointing for fans.” The broadcaster added that it was now focused on “securing the next phase of the show for future generations.”