Doctor Who cast change leads to surge in social media interest

Actor Billie Piper. Image by vagueonthehow and Albin Olsson, CC BY 2.0,

Adventures in time and space have, for a long time, captured the imagination of people, whether this is speculative fiction or science fiction extravaganzas. One prime example of this is the BBC television serial Doctor Who, which began in 1963, and which continues to be broadcast to this day.

The main why by which the series has maintained its longevity, apart from interesting storylines, is with changing the protagonist to a different actor. This is based on the Doctor being a Time Lord who has the ability to regenerated into a different person when he is fatally harmed or when his or her body ages.

Exterminate!

The Doctor travels in a machine called the TARDIS, which can visit any point of time and in any space within the universe. This leads to encounters with cyborgs (Cybermen), once human mutants encased in machines (Daleks) and fellow Time Lords less focused on doing good (such as the Master).

The latest outing has seen Ncuti Gatwa bow out to be replaced by a familiar face for Doctor Who fans. This has coincided with a rise in viewing figures and a surge of activity on social media.

Searches for ‘Doctor Who’ hit a five-year high worldwide after Billie Piper’s viral return, prompting a ‘regeneration’ of interest in the show. For example, Billie Piper has gained 19,577 new Instagram followers after her appearance in the finale of the latest Doctor Who series in May 2025. 

This analysis, conducted by marketing consultant Claire Jarrett of Jarrett Digital, used the social media analytics site Social Blade to track how Billie Piper’s follower count changed after her surprise appearance during the final episode of the series. 

Hello again Billie

In an unexpected twist during the series finale, the fifteenth Doctor, portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa, sacrifices himself to save a child, resulting in him regenerating into a new character played by former pop star Billie Piper – who is probably, although it was yet to be confirmed, the Doctor. Piper previously played a character called Rose Tyler across 2005 and 2006 (followed by a few guest appearances).

Following the episode airing on Saturday 31 May, Piper has gained an impressive 19,577 new Instagram followers according to Social Blade, taking her up to 586,889 followers on the platform. 

Additionally, data from Google Trends shows that search interest for the term “Doctor Who” is predicted to increase by 327% and is set to reach its highest interest worldwide in the past five years. 

Time to rematerialise?

Jarrett tells Digital Journal:“This decision, which was penned by longstanding showrunner Russell T Davies, is clear fan service to Piper’s former iconic role in the earlier series, where she played The Doctor’s companion, Rose. While it’s currently unknown whether Piper will portray the sixteenth Doctor in the next series, this surprising revival could draw in older fans of the show, who may have grown up watching her during David Tennant’s era as the Doctor.”

She adds: “Many fans will be disappointed about the departure of Gatwa from the role, but with Piper’s exact role in the upcoming series unconfirmed, this may encourage a wider audience to tune in to determine the future direction of the show.”