Rose Tyler (Billie Piper)

[Lorien1]

Who Companion

Russell T Davies says the companion will be different from those in the original series.

"A screaming girly companion is unacceptable now," he told TV Times. "I don't mean in terms of women's rights - dramatically, we've got Buffy the Vampire Slayer now, so a screaming girly companion would be laughed out of the room."

Davies also revealed that the news series wouldn't rely on old monsters to get people behind the sofa.

"I love the Daleks, but I wouldn't load the series with lots of old monsters. We want to make brand new ones," Davies said.

One day we hope to have an interview with Russell ourselves, yes one day. Until then…

 

[ray gower]

Bonny Screaming Langford has a lot to answer for.

Well over half of the Doctor's companions were not 'Screamers'. Some could almost hold there own with the Doctor himself

 

[Dave]

Even in the Sixties they had strong women companions, then we had Sarah Jane Smith (see her when Jon Pertwee asked her to make the tea) and Leela ("shall I kill him now"), but after a story or two most did begin to start screaming just like the others.

At least there will be a companion. I think that the last Dr Who (having only a 'love interest' was a major mistake.)

 

[ray gower]

In fairness. If I was in some of the situations they were in I would start screaming!

Continuity was never something that was trumpeted for or by the show. But the slide of the assistants from strong and independant to whimpering wrecks was remarkably smooth. The best example I can think of for that was Ace who slid from tomboy with the ambition to blow everything up to almost mental breakdown. I'm sure there is a University thesis in there some where?

'Love' interest was never part of the show. But the companions were usually quite ordinary types, pretty but not drop dead beautiful.
Unless they start to import Hollywood style plastic bimbos, I can't think of a good reason why it should become a requirement now?

 

[Lorien1]

Bonnie Langford in my eyes was one of the factors that finished Doctor Who!! Colin.<*>.

 

[Darth Simpson]

Not to mention Jonathan Nathan-Turner and his choice of costume for Colin Baker !

 

[Dave]

The Doctors new sidekick will be called Rose according to Russell T Davies.

Does anyone have more on her character?

 

[Dave]

This has actually been a rumour for some time, Russel T Davies said that he really wanted her for the role, but AOL says that it has been confirmed (I can't find any other confirmation of this 'BBC spokeswoman' at the moment:

from AOL News

Billie Piper Lands Dr Who Role

Billie Piper says she is thrilled to be playing the part of Rose Tyler, Dr Who's assistant

Billie Piper will play Doctor Who's assistant in the new BBC series, it has been confirmed.

The 21-year-old singer and actress said she was "thrilled" to have landed the role of Rose Taylor, alongside Christopher Eccleston's timelord.

The cult sci-fi series will be back on television next year.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "Billie is beautiful, funny and intelligent. We needed to find a unique, dynamic partner for Christopher Eccleston, and Billie fits the bill perfectly.

"She will make an extraordinary Rose Tyler."

Piper, married to former DJ and TV presenter Chris Evans, has long been linked to the role.

She said: "Doctor Who is an iconic show and I am absolutely thrilled to be playing the part of Rose Tyler."

Piper follows in the footsteps of actresses such as Bonnie Langford who have played the Doctor's female sidekick over the years.

Eccleston has said Rose will be feistier than her predecessors - and may even provide a love interest.

She is known as a singer rather than an actress, as well as being a celebrity because of her older rich husband. However, I did see her in the BBC's 'Cantebury Tales' last year playing opposite James Nesbit and Dennis Waterman, and she proved she can act. She has to be better than Bonnie Langford anyway!

 

[ray gower]

Because I've never heard of her I dug out a mini-biography for Ms Piper.

Billie Piper studied at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. She caught the eyes of record producers who were interested in signing a young vocalist when she was the poster girl for the ad campaign of a British pop music magazine, Smash Hits. She released her first single, "Because We Want To", which debuted at #1 at age 15. Her second single "Girlfriend" was also a #1 hit. By the time she turned 16, Billie had released 4 singles that all made the top three on the charts. She has been labeled the "Pop Princess" of England, UK

Based on this I would say the screaming in her household comes from her spouse the ginger twit Chris Evans.

 

[Dave]

That's an old photo, this is a better one:

http://www.thewoundandwound.com/images/nodders/6/banana_splits2.jpg

 

[ray gower]

Think she needs to stop using make-up!

 

[Dave]

Confirmation from BBC Wales

from http://www.scifind.co.uk/

Billie Piper is confirmed to play Rose Tyler, companion to Doctor Who, it was announced today by Julie Gardner, Head of Drama, BBC Wales.

The former singer who made her acting debut last year in the critically-acclaimed BBC ONE drama serial Canterbury Tales: The Miller's Tale, will star alongside Christopher Eccleston in the forthcoming 13-part drama series which returns to BBC ONE early next year.

Julie Gardner says: "Billie is beautiful, funny and intelligent. We needed to find a unique, dynamic partner for Christopher Eccleston, and Billie fits the bill perfectly.

"She will make an extraordinary Rose Tyler. Doctor Who has his new assistant!"

Piper, who also received critical-acclaim for her role in Bella and the Boys, a one-off drama for BBC TWO, is currently starring opposite Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom in The Calcium Kid.

"Doctor Who is an iconic show and I am absolutely thrilled to be playing the part of Rose Tyler," says Billie Piper.

"I am also looking forward to working with Christopher Eccleston and writer Russell T Davies."

Executive producer/writer, Russell T Davies, adds: "The Doctor's companion is one of the most important and cherished roles in the history of TV drama.

"I'm delighted that someone of Billie's talent is coming on board the Tardis, to travel through time and space."

Filming in Cardiff later this year for transmission on BBC ONE, Doctor Who is written by Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Paul Cornell and Robert Shearman.

The producer is Phil Collinson and executive producers are BBC Controller of Continuing Drama Series, Mal Young; Head of Drama, BBC Wales, Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies.

For further information about Billie Piper, Doctor Who and past companions, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/.

 

[Dave]

Rose Tyler's got a really ordinary life - a nice boyfriend, a dominant mother and a dull job. She's also met a man from another planet.

More here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/characters/rose/index.shtml

"It was a long, thorough search to find Billie," explained Executive Producer Russell T. Davies. ""We auditioned all sorts of actors, but Billie is absolutely perfect, and very close to the description of Rose on the page" (sexy and feisty).

"I don't want to give away too much about Rose, cos I want the viewers to discover it all as new, on screen, in 2005. We should all start this adventure together."

19-year-old shop girl Rose Tyler is from contemporary Earth. Davies has suggested that Rose may only be "the first" of the planned companions, but has also indicated that, if Doctor Who survives beyond its first new season, Rose would continue to travel in the TARDIS. The BBC has described Rose as the Doctor's "soulmate", who "starts out as an innocent, fettered by earthly concerns [but who] ends up an adventurer who can never go home again".

Aparently Rose comes from London SE15 (Peckham, Nunhead, Peckham Rye) so maybe she knows Del Boy (Only Fools and Horses). Is there any connection with car dealer Boycie moving from Peckham to the countryside (Green Green Grass)?

 

[ray gower]

Three episodes in and Rose is starting to grow on me.

Despite mis-givings regarding Ms Piper's acting abilities possibly matching her squawking or choice in husbands (I wonder if she wishes the Doctor would happen to her in real life?), it has to be said that she is doing a fair job of making Rose a real person. Okay, she has a long way to go to match Dame Thora Hurd, or Dame Judy Dench, but then Eccleston is not Sir Laurence Olivier either.

But the show has been carefully crafted to match the two and is full of inter-personal moments to make them feel 'real'.

Only draw back I can see is that the speculation over what else goes on in the TARDIS's many rooms is going to surface again.

 

[Dave]

Christopher Eccleston is on record as saying that he thinks that the Doctor does love Rose.

'The Northern Echo' says "One intriguing aspect of the new series is the developing relationship between the Doctor and Rose. There's a look here, a remark there. I wouldn't be surprised if, so to speak, she finds herself under the doctor."

There is certainly something going on that never went on before in Doctor Who, I guess that is not only to be expected in a modern TV series, it is also quite natural, in character.

What I mean is that a man and a woman traveling together as companions on a long journey would begin as friends, but that friendship could develop into something more, or it could not, but whatever happened the experience would shape the relationship that followed.

Rose seemed to be a little slow to realise what she had done. It took her a week to ask if he was an alien, and another week to realise that she had shacked up with a complete stranger!

Most often she seems to dislike the Doctor's stance on the moral dilemna of the week. She isn't afraid to stand up to him, and at least once she has been right.

One of the reasons why I didn't like 'The End of the World' so much, was that Rose seemed more of a victim in that, more like the female companions of previous incarnations of Doctor Who. In 'Rose' and then again in 'The Unquiet Dead' she is much more in control of the situation.

 

[Dave]

Katy Manning has some advice for Rose

from filmforce.ign.com

Jo Grant Gives Opinion on New Series

One of the best known and most beloved of the Doctor's former companions had some advice recently for Billie Piper. Speaking in the Australian press, Katy Manning, aka Jo Grant from the Jon Pertwee era of the series, said "she is as good as anybody else, better than some and she will bring her own magic to it."

"The key word to this show is truth because you are dealing in totally unreal situations. Truth will get them every time because it should make you laugh, cry, feel afraid. That is what the show is all about."

Katy also had some comments about reports she's seen about the series in the press, which, like the US, currently has no Australian outlet. "From what I hear, the show is frigging fantastic. Don't look for the wobbly sets anymore because they're not there." Commenting on the difference between the pay and royalties she received in the '70s versus what the Doctor's latest companion stands to take home, Manning said, "Miss Piper could become a millionaire out of this. I am lucky if I can pay for a couple of years in my maturity for a bath chair."

I guess she's too old to do any more naked pictures with Daleks now!

:blush:

 

[Dave]

from AOL News

Now Billie Quits Doctor Who

Double act: Billie Piper has joined Christopher Eccleston in quitting Doctor Who

Doctor Who bosses have been hit by a new bombshell - Billie Piper is quitting the hit TV show.

The 22-year-old blonde, who plays the Timelord's sidekick Rose Tyler, may appear in only three episodes of the second series, according to reports.

The news comes just weeks after Christopher Eccleston announced he was standing down as Doctor Who once the current series ends.

A BBC insider told The Sun: "Billie will feature in some episodes of the second series. But her character, Rose, won’t be the Doctor Who companion at the end of it.

"It's a nine-month, hard slog of filming. Chris and Billie were knackered.

"Billie’s really proved herself as an actress in Doctor Who and she's been bombarded with offers of work both in England and in America."

The paper quotes a BBC source as saying: "No decision has been made about how many episodes she will be in, but it looks likely she will come in and out."

Filming of the new series, with David Tennant as the Doctor, starts in July.

Companions always come and go, usually the Doctor stays a little longer.

 

[Dave]

from Digital Spy

Piper to appear in four extra 'Dr Who' eps

Billie Piper is to earn £120,000 after agreeing to star in four extra episodes of Doctor Who.

The actress announced that she was quitting the show last week, and originally planned to star in just three episodes of the show's second series.

However, Billie, who plays Rose Tyler, will now appear in seven episodes of the next series.

"It's great news she's on board for more," an insider told The People.

EastEnders star Michelle Ryan and Spooks cast-member Keeley Hawes are amongst the actresses rumoured to be replacing Billie.

 

[MarTooth]

Russel T Davies has stated in an interview on the BBC's breakfast TV prog that Billie Piper WILL be appearing in all 14 episodes of season 2 (I'm assuming he was including the christmas special to make it 14 but could indicate a longer season next year) in reference to rumours that she was only to be in 3-7 episodes.

He also insinuated that the single season only for Chris was always to be thus and that the choice of actors was integral to getting the industry to take the show seriously, thus ensuring it's creation (then of course to help pull in the viewers) and stated that Christopher Eccleston was taking a great career risk doing so.

 

[ray gower]

He also insinuated that the single season only for Chris was always to be thus and that the choice of actors was integral to getting the industry to take the show seriously, thus ensuring it's creation (then of course to help pull in the viewers) and stated that Christopher Eccleston was taking a great career risk doing so.

Being the Doctor has always been very much a 2 edged sword. The character is a far bigger name than anybody they could possibly get to play the role. Hence all of the previous holders of the position all but disappeared after they left, yet were all major (and good) actors on stage, TV and/or film beforehand.

So I suggest that Eccleston will have to live with his decision for many years to come.

TBH he might have been better off if the series had been bad!