The original ending for Doctor Who’s just-finished second season — which now concludes with Ncuti Gatwa’s exit and the sudden arrival of Billie Piper — has seemingly been confirmed by the TikTok account of an actor who appeared in the finale.
Ahead of the finale being broadcast, film and TV leaker Daniel Richtman wrote online that the episode had originally concluded very differently, before Gatwa’s later decision to leave the show’s title role prompted extensive reshoots for the episode at the beginning of this year, in order to work in his departure.
Now, Richtman’s account of the episode’s original ending has seemingly been verified by the TikTok account of Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps, the child star who plays Poppy, a key character in the episode.
“The original ending of Dr Who S2 (before the reshoots) was [that] The Doctor, Ruby, Belinda etc are all having a big party,” Richtman wrote. “Susan is seen over watching them from afar which would’ve been the cliffhanger leading into a S3.
“It’s unclear how much of this has been salvaged into the new ending,” he added.
Now, the TikTok account for Mavanga-Phipps, which is run by the child actor’s mother, has reposted Richtman’s comments, and suggested to fans it is legitimate.
Did she film that part?” asked one fan, in a comment seen by IGN. “So was this actually legit if you’re posting it?” wrote another. Mavanga-Phipps’ account has Liked both of these posts.
“Makes sense. That finale was shambles,” wrote another fan, to which Mavanga-Phipps’ account has replied with two crying emojis.
When asked to share photos of the cut ending, Mavanga-Phipps’ account replied: “I wish I could hun… but due to NDA I can’t.”
Mavanga-Phipps’ account goes on to reveal further plot details from the cut plans, which state what many fans had suspected: that Poppy (technically the Doctor’s daughter, albeit from an alternate reality) would have been revealed as the mother of Susan, his granddaughter from the series’ original episodes back in the 1960s.
After decades without mention, Susan, played by original actress Carol Ann Ford, returned for a cameo this season — which ties with the show’s original plans apparently being for her to feature more in its next season, production of which is currently on hold.
“So Poppy was supposed to be Susan’s child?” a fan asked on TikTok. “Mother,” Mavanga-Phipps’ account replied.
“Still can’t believe we could have gotten the perfect ending with Poppy and Susan,” wrote another fan, to which Mavanga-Phipps’ account replied with a laughing emoji.
In press releases and in Doctor Who’s behind the scenes spin-off series Unleashed, the reshoots featuring Gatwa’s exit have been glossed over, with the actor’s final day on set presented as if it could have been part of the show’s original filming and the actor’s plan all along
But fans tracking the series’ production believe that filming for the past season originally wrapped in May 2024, at a point when Gatwa was still intending to return and film a third season. Production on the finale’s reshoots to cater for Gatwa’s exit then took place in February 2025.
Other evidence of the finale’s original version also remains — including a promotional photo uploaded to Disney+ showing the Doctor and Belinda dancing at a party, in a scene that never made the final version of the episode. Fans suspect this was the party scene mentioned by Richtman, from the episode’s original ending.
The BBC’s Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has previously said Gatwa had always planned to stay as long as he did in the TARDIS, though it’s believed the BBC had hoped to have filmed a third season by this point. Instead, there has been no formal word on the show’s renewal, and no public confirmation of whether Doctor Who’s lucrative Disney+ deal will continue.
Billie Piper’s hastily-added cameo at the end of the episode appears to have been filmed in secret even later than Gatwa’s departure, as suggested by Unleashed’s latest episode which includes an interview with the actress, presented with a caveat by host Steffan Powell that the documentary series had not been told of her new casting.
This is particularly odd, as Unleashed was able to film at the series’ reshoots, and cover production secrets such as Gatwa’s departure and the cameo of past Doctor Jodie Whittaker. One explanation could be that Piper’s casting and filming of her cameo confirmed even later, with the identity of Gatwa’s replacement up in the air.
Indeed, fans aren’t sure whether Piper is really playing the next official incarnation of the Doctor — and the ambiguity over her casting is only adding to growing uncertainty over the show’s future.
Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
