Doctor Who Actor Seemingly Confirms Finale's Original Ending Plans — Before Those Reshoots Due to Ncuti Gatwa's Departure

The archetypal ending for Doctor Who's just-finished 2nd play — which present concludes with Ncuti Gatwa's exit and the abrupt accomplishment of Billie Piper — has seemingly been confirmed by the TikTok relationship of an histrion who appeared successful the finale.

Ahead of the finale being broadcast, movie and TV leaker Daniel Richtman wrote online that the occurrence had primitively concluded precise differently, earlier Gatwa's aboriginal determination to permission the show's rubric relation prompted extended reshoots for the occurrence astatine the opening of this year, successful bid to enactment successful his departure.

Now, Richtman's relationship of the episode's archetypal ending has seemingly been verified by the TikTok relationship of Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps, the kid prima who plays Poppy, a cardinal quality successful the episode.

"The archetypal ending of Dr Who S2 (before the reshoots) was [that] The Doctor, Ruby, Belinda etc are each having a large party," Richtman wrote. "Susan is seen implicit watching them from afar which would've been the cliffhanger starring into a S3.

"It's unclear however overmuch of this has been salvaged into the caller ending," helium added.

Now, the TikTok relationship for Mavanga-Phipps, which is tally by the kid actor's mother, has reposted Richtman's comments, and suggested to fans it is legitimate.

Did she movie that part?" asked 1 fan, successful a remark seen by IGN. "So was this really legit if you're posting it?" wrote another. Mavanga-Phipps' relationship has Liked some of these posts.

"Makes sense. That finale was shambles," wrote different fan, to which Mavanga-Phipps' relationship has replied with 2 crying emojis.

When asked to stock photos of the chopped ending, Mavanga-Phipps' relationship replied: "I privation I could hun... but owed to NDA I can't."

Ncuti Gatwa. Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images.

Mavanga-Phipps' relationship goes connected to uncover further crippled details from the chopped plans, which authorities what galore fans had suspected: that Poppy (technically the Doctor's daughter, albeit from an alternate reality) would person been revealed arsenic the parent of Susan, his granddaughter from the series' archetypal episodes backmost successful the 1960s.

After decades without mention, Susan, played by archetypal histrion Carol Ann Ford, returned for a cameo this play — which ties with the show's archetypal plans seemingly being for her to diagnostic much successful its adjacent season, accumulation of which is presently connected hold.

"So Poppy was expected to beryllium Susan's child?" a instrumentality asked connected TikTok. "Mother," Mavanga-Phipps' relationship replied.

"Still can't judge we could person gotten the cleanable ending with Poppy and Susan," wrote different fan, to which Mavanga-Phipps' relationship replied with a laughing emoji.

In property releases and successful Doctor Who's down the scenes spin-off bid Unleashed, the reshoots featuring Gatwa's exit person been glossed over, with the actor's last time connected acceptable presented arsenic if it could person been portion of the show's archetypal filming and the actor's program each along

But fans tracking the series' accumulation judge that filming for the past play primitively wrapped successful May 2024, astatine a constituent erstwhile Gatwa was inactive intending to instrumentality and movie a 3rd season. Production connected the finale's reshoots to cater for Gatwa's exit past took spot successful February 2025.

The Doctor and Belinda creation astatine a party, successful a series not shown successful the last mentation of the finale.

Other grounds of the finale's archetypal mentation besides remains — including a promotional photograph uploaded to Disney+ showing the Doctor and Belinda dancing astatine a party, successful a country that ne'er made the last mentation of the episode. Fans fishy this was the enactment country mentioned by Richtman, from the episode's archetypal ending.

The BBC's Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has antecedently said Gatwa had ever planned to enactment arsenic agelong arsenic helium did successful the TARDIS, though it's believed the BBC had hoped to person filmed a 3rd play by this point. Instead, determination has been nary ceremonial connection connected the show's renewal, and nary nationalist confirmation of whether Doctor Who's lucrative Disney+ woody volition continue.

Billie Piper's hastily-added cameo astatine the extremity of the occurrence appears to person been filmed successful concealed adjacent aboriginal than Gatwa's departure, arsenic suggested by Unleashed's latest occurrence which includes an interrogation with the actress, presented with a caveat by big Steffan Powell that the documentary bid had not been told of her caller casting.

This is peculiarly odd, arsenic Unleashed was capable to movie astatine the series' reshoots, and screen accumulation secrets specified arsenic Gatwa's departure and the cameo of past Doctor Jodie Whittaker. One mentation could beryllium that Piper's casting and filming of her cameo confirmed adjacent later, with the individuality of Gatwa's replacement up successful the air.

Indeed, fans aren't definite whether Piper is truly playing the adjacent authoritative incarnation of the Doctor — and the ambiguity implicit her casting is lone adding to increasing uncertainty implicit the show's future.

Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images. Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social