Mark Gatiss tells next Doctor Who bosses how to 'fix' Billie Piper situation
Former Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss has offered a word of warning for whoever takes over Doctor Who.
Mark Gatiss has warned Doctor Who not to repeat Dallas' mistakes with Rose Tyler.
The writer and actor, who has penned a number of episodes of the sci-fi favourite over the years, has weighed in on how the show's future bosses should handle Billie Piper's return in the Reality War, where Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper.
The 43-year-old actress previously played companion Rose, and while fans had speculated she was playing a new iteration of the Time Lord, Billie herself recently dismissed this idea.
Referencing the iconic US soap opera which ran from 1978 to 1991, Mark told the Half the Picture podcast: "When Dallas came back, to use a strange example... the last episode of Dallas, Larry Hagman is visited by a strange man, played by Joel Grey, who turns out to be the devil.
"It's like a strange version of It's a Wonderful Life, where he shows him life without him, where Cliff becomes president and all these things.
"And then he turns out to be the Devil at the end, and it ends with the bang of JR shooting himself. That's the end of Dallas. It came back 15, 20 years later and JR says: 'I saw a lot of crazy s*** that night.' Because he'd been drinking.
"So in the future, if someone wants to explain why The Doctor turns into Billie Piper, it's easy.
"But equally easy is not to bother because it doesn't really matter. Of course, it doesn't. There's always an explanation. I've already thought of 18 of them."
Mark, 59, argued that whoever takes control of Doctor Who in the future would be best served to treat it as a reset of sorts.
He argued: "But the crucial thing, and the reason why the [1996] TV movie stumbles immediately, is they try and make it for all the audiences at once. Whereas the crucial audience was the brand-new audience.
"If you start an episode of Doctor Who inside the TARDIS, talking about the Master and the Daleks - lost, why would you not be?"
Last month, the BBC announced that Doctor Who is being put out to competitive tender, and the planned Christmas special has been cancelled.
The broadcaster said in a statement: "As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year.
"Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come.
"After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode.
"This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory."
