It’s not exactly clear who Doctor Who‘s current lead actor really is. The Doctor Who season 15 finale saw Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into Billie Piper, but a plethora of different explanations could be pulled out to address Rose’s return. It’s possible that the Doctor has simply adopted a familiar face, just as the Twelfth Doctor did with Peter Capaldi, but it’s also plausible that Piper isn’t playing the Doctor at all.
Is this the Bad Wolf inhabiting the Doctor’s body? Has something timey-wimey resulted in the Doctor and Rose swapping places? Is Rose’s form just a stop-gap before a new, proper incarnation of the Doctor? It’s a case of so many questions, so little content for Doctor Who right now, but as speculation over the show’s next full-time lead increases, a familiar face enters the conversation.
Mawaan Rizwan Would Be A Fantastic Sixteenth Doctor
Mawaan Rizwan in Doctor Who
2023’s Doctor Who Children in Need special, “Destination: Skaro,” featured the Doctor accidentally getting involved in the Daleks’ creation (again). On this occasion, Fourteen encountered the Kaled scientist Mr. Castavillian, played by Mawaan Rizwan.
A rising star at the time, Rizwan began his career online before switching to other shows under the BBC umbrella such as Definitely Not Newsround. Rizwan then balanced a dual career as a documentary host and emerging comedian, but has more recently made strides into comedy TV with Juice and Two Weeks to Live.
Particularly in Juice, Rizwan’s style is vibrant, surreal, larger-than-life, and deliberately odd. He blends the juvenile with the deadly serious, which can be seen in his career trajectory between performing stand-up and speaking on real modern-day issues.
It’s a clash of styles that could serve Doctor Who well. Rizwan would bring a chaotic, alien energy to the Doctor, but still land the heavier emotional beats demanded by the universe’s favorite Time Lord. He possesses a performative kind of showmanship reminiscent of actors from Doctor Who’s past, but also a self-aware irreverence not seen since Matt Smith.
Mawaan Rizwan is the kind of talent that can’t be pinned down, just like the Doctor as a character and, indeed, Doctor Who as a franchise.
When Could Doctor Who Realistically Debut A New Actor?
The Doctor regenerating as Billie Piper in Doctor Who
Doctor Who’s next release will be a 2026 Christmas special, presumably starring Billie Piper. There’s a very realistic possibility that the episode will end with Piper regenerating into Doctor Who’s next proper lead actor ahead of the next full season, which has been confirmed (albeit without a clear timeline) by the BBC.
That’s the earliest a new Doctor could debut, but viewers could have a much longer wait. It’s currently not clear whether Billie Piper might stay for a full season, or perhaps a series of specials spread over 2027. And following the conclusion of Doctor Who’s arrangement with Disney, there are problems to solve beyond just finding a new Doctor.
Still, Doctor Who has a long history of promoting actors who excel in guest roles to the top jobs, and with Mawaan Rizwan already making a strong impression, the foundations for a stint piloting the TARDIS are already in place.
Release Date
May 11, 2024
Network
BBC One
Directors
Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Ben Chessell, Julie Anne Robinson, Jamie Donoughue, Amanda Brotchie, Dylan Holmes Williams