Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler was the first companion of the Doctor Who revival and many consider her the best ever. In her first season, she journeyed in the TARDIS with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor, though formed a particularly close bond with David Tennant’s Tenth. Their adventures together ended with one of the biggest tearjerkers the show has ever produced, with Rose trapped in a parallel universe and the Doctor burning up a sun in order to say goodbye to her.
Since then, Piper has made a couple of cameos, appearing during the Tenth Doctor’s lengthy regeneration sequence and playing the face of a weapon of mass destruction known as The Moment in the 50th Anniversary special “Day of the Doctor.” She’s also a fixture in Big Finish audio dramas, having appeared alongside Tennant in The Tenth Doctor Adventures and getting her own series in Rose Tyler: Dimension Cannon.
In a recent interview with the Guardian newspaper, she discussed playing Rose and revealed that she wouldn’t return, even if she was offered the chance to portray the Fourteenth Doctor (which would actually be a fun idea).
“Oh that [idea] is so good! I wouldn’t go back. It’s a great role, but you’re away from your kids for so long. My experience was that you were in Wales for nine months solid. And as a job it dominates your life. It’s mainstream family viewing so you can’t really escape it. It feels like it makes you very, very famous.”
Still, kids don’t stay kids forever, so perhaps Piper might come back when her life is a bit less hectic. One thing’s for sure, if she did make a return, the fans would be waiting for her with open arms. Indeed, Rose Tyler is among the most beloved companions, not just of the revival but of the show’s entire history and the more of her on screen the better.
In the meantime, we’re still looking forward to Doctor Who‘s thirteenth season, which looks set to be the last outing for Jodie Whittaker. Let’s hope for some news on her replacement and an air date for the upcoming episodes soon.
Published: Feb 3, 2021 08:47 am