Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper are reuniting for a new story set in the Doctor Who universe.
The two actors played the Doctor and his companion Rose Tyler when the long-running sci-fi show was rebooted by the BBC in 2005.
As the 20th anniversary of the revival approaches, it’s been revealed that Christopher is returning to the franchise to lend his voice to a new 12-part audio series, which will also feature Billie as Rose for the first time since 2017.
Christopher enthused: “I am so happy to be back recording more adventures for the Ninth Doctor with Billie.
“I don’t think my Doctor exists without Rose. He’s a ‘one man, one companion’ kind of alien. We’ve explored him on his own at Big Finish, as a loner. But there’s a resilience and a bravery and a deep empathy to Billie as Rose, that’s why I do this. They complete each other.”
Billie agreed: “I can’t think of a better time for Rose to reunite with her first Doctor than now. Twenty years after she first ran into the Tardis and towards adventure, here we are again, me and Chris, ready to have fun facing the universe – and the monsters – together.”
It’s no secret that Christopher left Doctor Who under acrimonious circumstances after one season at the helm, going as far as accusing the BBC of “blacklisting” him after he stepped down from Doctor Who.
He later claimed he’d threatened legal action against the corporation after they released a statement on his behalf about his exit without his consent, and said in 2023 that he’d only return to the TV show if Russell T Davies – who was showrunner during his stint, and returned to the franchise in 2023 – was not part of it.
In 2020, Christopher surprised Doctor Who fans with the news he was reprising his role as the Time Lord for the first time in 15 years, as part of a previous audio series.
Since his departure, the Doctor has been played by David Tennant (twice!), Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker and current Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa.