To this day, Rose Tyler retains her place as one of the most revered characters in the history of Doctor Who, but the show owes a great deal of that love to Billie Piper, whose performance as a companion to both the Ninth and Tenth Doctors forever etched her in the memory of Whovians.
When Christopher Eccleston’s Last of the Time Lords met Rose in London, he was a damaged soul barely out of the horror of the Last Great Time War, where he supposedly destroyed both the Time Lords and Daleks. In those early days, especially when you consider that the show had just come back after its cancellation in 1989, Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler was pivotal in shaping the character of the Doctor once again. The 50th Anniversary episode “The Day of the Doctor” may have retconned this development and revealed that the Lonely God managed to save Gallifrey after all, but Rose and her alternate persona the Bad Wolf remain an important part of Who lore.
As for the actress, she recently reprised her role as the feisty companion in a Big Finish audio drama, and her new TV show I Hate Suzie has garnered much acclaim. To promote the series, Piper appeared on The One Show, where she reflected on her time on the sci-fi phenomenon and revealed a certain aspect that continues to be a “struggle.”
“Yeah I mean I’m frequently asked on stage live at conventions very sort of intricate question about Doctor Who,” she said. “I’m not going to lie, I personally struggle to find the answers sometimes.”
Over the years, though, the British actress has figured out a way to tackle these questions, explaining:
“I often sort of ask them [fans] to help me answer the question they’ve asked so yes, I do know one or two things about that experience,” Piper added.
While it’s been long since the story of Rose came to a close on Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker’s incarnation recently met a friend from that time, something that fans hope might regenerate the spirit of Russell T. Davies’ era in season 13, at least to some extent.
