Billie Piper and David Tennant Pitch a Doctor Who Movie Comeback
Signal sent: available now and ready to act—lines open, doors unlocked.
Doctor Who on a movie screen? Billie Piper and David Tennant are not just into it — they basically volunteered on the spot. Honestly, same.
The Comic Con moment
Reunited on stage at LA Comic Con, the pair were asked if they would headline a Doctor Who film. Piper answered before the question finished: yes. Tennant followed with a sure. Then came the back-and-forth every Whovian wanted to hear: Piper said she has been pitching the idea for ages, asking where the film is; Tennant echoed, where is the movie; Piper joked they are the ones; Tennant closed it out by saying they are available.
"I would love the Doctor Who experience on the big screen. They are sort of like films anyway."
Context check: Tennant has already pulled double duty as both the Tenth and the Fourteenth Doctor, most recently returning for the 60th anniversary specials with Catherine Tate. And in one of those only-in-Who twists, Ncuti Gatwa’s last episode, The Reality War, ended with him regenerating into Piper — a reveal that floored the fandom and makes a Piper-led film feel, frankly, plausible.
Why a movie makes sense right now
The appetite is clearly there. The Reality War wasn’t just a TV moment — it played in cinemas across the UK and Ireland when it dropped in May, and fans showed up. Piper loved that part specifically and wants more of it.
- Paul McGann already fronted a Doctor Who TV movie back in 1996 as the Eighth Doctor.
- Go further back and you get the non-canon Peter Cushing films: Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
- Most recently, The Reality War hit theaters in the UK and Ireland in May, proving the big-screen test case works.
Where the franchise stands
On the business side, fans are still waiting on Disney’s decision about ordering more seasons. The important bit: the BBC has already said the series will continue with or without Disney in the mix.
There is more Whoniverse content coming either way. Next up is the spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, which is expected to land next year.
The bottom line
Piper and Tennant want a Doctor Who film. They said it out loud, on stage, and they were not subtle about it. Given the recent cinema screenings and the show’s long, weird relationship with movies, the timing actually lines up. Until anything official happens, you can stream Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer.