Doctor Who Star Discloses Original Ending Pre-Gatwa Reshoots

The revised ending for Doctor Who's recently concluded second season—now featuring Ncuti Gatwa's departure and Billie Piper's unexpected appearance—has reportedly been corroborated by an actor's TikTok account from the finale.

Prior to the finale's broadcast, industry insider Daniel Richtman revealed online that the episode initially had a completely different conclusion. Extensive reshoots were reportedly conducted earlier this year to accommodate Gatwa's departure from the lead role.

Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps, the young actress portraying pivotal character Poppy, appears to have confirmed Richtman's claims through her TikTok account managed by her mother.

"The original Season 2 finale involved The Doctor, Ruby, and Belinda celebrating at a party," Richtman disclosed. "Susan was shown observing them from a distance—a cliffhanger meant to lead into Season 3."

He added, "It remains unclear how much of this material was incorporated into the revised version."

The TikTok account reposted Richtman's comments, prompting fan speculation about its authenticity through liked comments questioning whether the young actress filmed the original scenes.

"That finale was chaotic," remarked one fan, receiving tearful emoji responses from the account. Regarding requests for deleted scene images, the response cited NDA restrictions: "Wish I could share, but legally can't."

The account further revealed what many fans theorized—that Poppy (technically the Doctor's alternate-reality daughter) was originally written as Susan's mother, connecting to the classic 1960s character recently revived by original actress Carol Ann Ford for a cameo this season.

"Poppy was Susan's mother?" queried one fan on TikTok, receiving confirmation from the account. Another lamented the lost storytelling potential, prompting a laughing emoji response.

Press materials and behind-the-scenes content have downplayed Gatwa's exit reshoots, presenting them as planned all along. However, production timelines suggest principal photography concluded in May 2024 with Gatwa intending to return, while departure scenes were reportedly filmed separately in February 2025.

Evidence of the original version persists, including Disney+ promotional images showing an unfilmed party sequence matching Richtman's description of the initial ending.

While showrunner Russell T Davies maintains Gatwa's tenure followed plan, reports suggest the BBC anticipated filming Season 3 by now. The show's renewal status and Disney+ partnership remain officially unconfirmed.

Piper's last-minute cameo appears to have been filmed separately from Gatwa's exit, evidenced by the documentary series Unleashed revealing they weren't informed of her casting—unusual given their access to other production secrets.

This secrecy fuels speculation about whether Piper portrays the next Doctor or serves another narrative purpose, compounding uncertainty about the show's future direction.