Fans shocked by Piper's return to Doctor Who but its future is unclear

Nearly two decades since she first appeared on Doctor Who, Billie Piper made a spectacular return to the show on Saturday night in the latest season's finale, The Reality War.

- Harry Taylor

After just two series, Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor regenerated into a grinning Piper, who greeted viewers with "Oh, hello!" in the episode's final scene.

The 42-year-old is best known to Doctor Who fans for playing the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler for two seasons when the show was reintroduced to TV screens in 2005 after a 16-year break.

Her return came as a genuine shock to fans, many of whom were impressed that the BBC had managed to avoid leaks. But it has also left them with questions - will Piper play the Doctor in the show's next series? And will there be a next series at all?

In February the BBC denied reports the show faced the axe - but said any decision wouldn't be made until the latest series had been broadcast. Its statement pointed out half of the 26 episodes agreed with Disney+ still had not aired. Twenty-one episodes have now aired, leaving a five-episode spinoff starring Russell Tovey, the trailer for which aired after Saturday's finale.

The TV critic and Doctor Who fan Scott Bryan, 35, said the reintroduction of Piper to the show came at a pivotal time for the show amid speculation about its future.