Billie Piper appeared on television on Sunday evening on her ex-husband Chris Evans' new chat show, OFI Sunday. Says our correspondent Paul Hayes, "Piper seemed very cheerful and perky throughout, entering into the spirit of her ex-husband’s somewhat zany humour. They reminisced about their first ever meeting, which had also been on a television programme, Evans’s old Channel 4 show TFI Friday, and a clip was shown from that very edition back in 2000. Evans got the audience to cheer the fact that they are officially still married. He then asked her, much to everyone’s amusement, 'Why did you decide to leave m….usic for acting?'... He later asked her some so-called 'proper questions'. He asked her about how she prepares for doing a take when she’s acting. He told her what a great show Doctor Who is and the audience agreed... Piper was also a part of a game section of the show called Mine or Not Mine? in which she paraded various household objects the audience or phone-in contestants had to guess whether they belonged to Evans or not. Further embarrassing inanity followed for pretty much all of the rest of the show, such as Piper revealing 'this week’s fascinating fact!' that you only breathe out of one nostril at a time and they switch every twenty minutes." Says another correspondent, Peter Weaver, "After getting a big round of applause from the studio audience for her role in Doctor Who and agreeing that she was loving being in the show, Evans commented that there was one aspect of Doctor Who that she was not quite happy with. Piper hesitantly replied 'I don't know . . . Go on' to which Evans said: 'Well, it's Christmas time and they've done a Rose Tyler doll, haven't they?' Piper responded: 'Oh God, I know.' Evans asked her why she wasn't happy with it, and Piper said: 'Because I look like Master Splinter. You know, the giant rat from the (Teenage Mutant Ninja) Turtles, and I know I've got big teeth but this really takes the mick.' Evans then produced the offending item - the radio-controlled Dalek battle pack featuring the Rose action figure - which elicited a shrieked 'And I've got a gammy eye!' from Piper. He commented that Piper had been allowed approval of the doll, to which she replied 'Apparently I approved it - I can't remember.' Evans suggested that perhaps she had been 'a little bit tiddly' when she gave it the nod, to which Piper laughingly commented 'Possibly!' ... As a side note of possible interest, the Bewitched-style animated opening titles for OFI Sunday had a caricature of Piper on a billboard with the words 'Billie Piper in Professor Who?' coinciding with the sung lines, relating to Evans, 'He's taller than you think when you meet him in real life/He gets on ever so swell with his ex-wife.' The couple still have a year to go before they divorce." There are news reports about the appearance at BBC News. Also, The Sun features Evans/Piper gossip. (Thanks to Paul Hayes, Peter Weaver, Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg)

David Tennant and Billie Piper spoke to BBC One's Newsround at 5.25pm on Monday (1 August), at slightly greater length than the interviews that appeared on the main BBC News programmes. It's about five minutes into the eight-minute programme, which is available on the CBBC website to view in Real Player for twenty-four hours until about 5.25pm BST Tuesday. The following is a brief transcript (with thanks to Steve Tribe).

The next issue of Dreamwatch magazine will feature an exclusive report that the agent for Billie Piper has confirmed to the magazine that she will be leaving the series during its second season. "She's not doing the full season," the agent told Dreamwatch, indicating that she will likely appear in three to seven episodes of the second series. This is the first print indication that Piper may leave the show, although nothing official has yet been announced (we simply report what the magazine itself is reporting). Issue #130 of Dreamwatch will be available starting this weekend (and it also features interviews with Piper, Camille Coduri and John Barrowman).

Saturday's Parkinson (19 Mar, ITV1, 10.15pm GMT) had Billie Piper as its second guest (yes, a major commercial channel was happily plugging a show that'll be on its main terrestrial rival!), following celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and preceding Ewan McGregor. For the benefit of Outpost Gallifrey readers who don't know the one-hour chat show's format, each interviewee stays on from arriving, which allows for a bit of interchange with one another as well as having their "exclusive" slot. Piper's main segment lasted 12 minutes, with just under five minutes of that specifically about the new series of Doctor Who, the rest focusing on her pop career and relationship/failed marriage to Chris Evans. As ever, she came across as bubbly, sparky and thoughtful. A clip (presumably from Rose) was shown - which actually revealed more of Christopher Eccleston's talents than Piper's; it's the one (also shown on Friday's Newsnight Review) in which the Doctor replies to Rose's question "Who are you?" - before Piper appeared on the Parkinson set.

She began by saying that she never used to watch Doctor Who, adding: "It's like one of those songs you hear at wedding receptions - you donÆt know how you know the words but you do and you sing along." She described the character of Rose as "contemporary", saying: "She's gutsy, she's ballsy and she goes with her instinct. She hardly ever applies logic and she's just a great girl." Asked by Parkinson what Rose was like with aliens, she said: "She's actually quite good in confrontation, because she'd rather kind of talk her way out of it as opposed to pulling any kind of crazy kick-boxing stunts - she's not too hot on those." Talking about the relationship between Rose and the Doctor, Piper said: "When they first set eyes on one another they fall in love with each other . . . She lives this very ordinary life. She gets up, she goes to work, she comes home. There's nobody really in her life that's challenging her ideas or broadening her horizons and then suddenly this 900-year-old bloke rocks up in a blue box and he's like 'Come with us' and she's like 'Yeah!' and she takes off! She's quite ruthless. She just ditches life as she knows it and hops in the old TARDIS."

Parkinson used the age-difference angle to move the interview on to talking about Piper's relationship with Chris Evans, noting "it's not the first time you've run away with a man older than yourself", which Piper took in good humour. She referred to how tough the 11-day-fortnight shooting schedule in Cardiff, which lasted almost a year, had been, keeping her and Evans apart when previously they had basically been living in each other's pockets, but reasoned that the split would have happened eventually anyway as they both wanted different things. Parkinson commented that Russell T Davies had said the next step for Piper would be Hollywood, and Piper, to her credit, gave a level-headed response of "Who knows what could happen?" She said she had no plans for the future right now and was just happy being in the moment. Describing herself as "a hopeless romantic", she said she hoped she would get married again sometime in the future, and that it might be in two months' time, maybe in five years. (Form an orderly queue, guys . . . ) (Thanks to John Bowman)

Originally posted 23-24 May; updated 25-26 May with new press info & additional links

Actress Billie Piper will be playing Rose Tyler, the new Doctor Who companion in the forthcoming Doctor Who TV series. Below (end of this news post) is the official press release from BBC Television.

Piper was originally rumored as a possible companion as early as last September, after the announcement of the new series, in press put together by her agent. Piper has been speculated as a front-runner, especially earlier in the lead-up, but her name was recently away from the spotlight in deference to others thought to be finalists for the role, including Keeley Hawes, Anna Friel and Carla Henry. Indeed, in March, Piper's agent told the Radio Times: "It may be that the idea has been mooted, but it's not a conversation I have had." Radio Times went on to quote a "BBC spokeswoman" who said "an announcement wasn't expected for another two months".

Page 3 of the May 24 edition of the Daily Mail was one of the first sources (and actually the first online source) that stated Piper was in the role today; in an article 'Evans Moves a Few Rungs Down the Property Ladder' about Piper's husband Chris Evans, it also mentioned the following: "As well as winning the part of Dr Who's assistant in the new BBC series, the former pop singer has gained her first starring role in a movie." Today's Media Guardian also mentioned that "BBC drama bosses still want Mrs. Chris Evans, aka Billie Piper."

The May 25 edition of "The Independent" featured the following comment: "Billie Piper will play Doctor Who's assistant in the new BBC series. The 21-year-old said she was 'thrilled' to have landed the role of Rose Taylor [sic]" alongside Eccleston's Doctor.

The Cuttings Archive was updated late May 25 with press clippings from the various UK papers. Says Roger Anderson of the Archive, "The most notable coverage is in the Daily Express which not only has a large colour photo of Billie and a teaser headline on the front page also includes and excellent full page article on page 7." There is also a string of photos of previous Doctor Who companions.

The Daily Record (Scotland) includes a short piece in the "off the record" column which comments "SO Billie Piper is to be Dr Who's new assistant. Pretty young girl hooks up with old weirdo who wonders what planet he's on - inspired stuff. But hasn't she done that already?" Meanwhile, Metro, the free newspaper on British trains, mentioned the news on the cover on May 25, with a boxout in the top right corner that included a picture of Billie and the teaser tagline "Dr Who's new buddy ... all the way from planet pop page 3". The full story on page 3 covers most of the page and includes a rundown of "five of the Doctor's assistants", categorising them as follows: Sexiest - Jo Grant (Katy Manning); Brainiest - Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill); Most Loyal - Leela (Louise Jameson); Poshest - Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling); Coolest - Polly (Anneke Wills).

May 26th's Daily Express featured a long article entitled "Billie: Just What the Doctor Ordered," a long biographical article in the context of her being the new Doctor Who girl. "Whether they're escaping from Daleks, combating Sea Devils or helping to save Earth from an intergalactic war, the life of a Doctor Who companion has always been fraught with danger and full of adventure," writes Shaun Lyon Dunk. "It's safe to say ... that none has been quite as young or as nubile as Billie Piper." The article quotes Piper herself as saying, "Doctor Who is an iconic show and I am absolutely thrilled to be playing the part of Rose Tyler." The article then goes into her life, career and her marriage to Chris Evans, before getting reactions from two former Doctor Who companions, Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Louise Jameson. "It sounds like a cliche," Bryant says, "but when you join Doctor Who you are entering an extended family and every year I still attend conventions around the world and get incredible fan mail. I'm still in touch with the old Doctors and some of the assistants are among my closest friends. I imagine Billie won't have to put up with the outrageous costumes I wore. My first scene had me in a bikini and I seemed to wear revealing clothing for the rest of the series. Their budget will be bigger, too. We had to work very hard because whenever we blew anything up, we were only allowed one take. As an actress, nothing really compares with Doctor Who because its appeal is so overwhelming." Jameson told the Express, "I wanted Leela to be strong and tough, not some screaming girl who couldn't take the action. But I also had to wear a tight leather costume. I was disappointed my character exited the show by getting married - I'd have preferred to have died trying to rescue the Doctor. What's really incredible about Doctor Who is how loyal fans are. When there have been gaps in my work over the years I've always managed to get work that is a spin-off from those few months of doing Doctor Who. I still try to attend conventions and meet the fans of the show whenever I can. Billie should be aware of the huge interest. It can take you by surprise. But she's probably used to coping with the media by now." The article will be on the Cuttings Archive later today.

An article from Billie Piper's local paper from March 1995 which shows that she actually had a lot of acting experience prior to her brief period as a pop star, including winning a scholarship to one of London's leading stage schools, is available at This is Wiltshire. (Thanks to Mike Simpson)

Meanwhile, Russell T Davies spoke to the BBC Doctor Who site about the casting of Billie Piper as Rose. "It was a long, thorough search to find Billie - despite the fact that the tabloids have been touting her name for months now!" Davies said. "We auditioned all sorts of actors - some famous, some unknown - but we've now met with Billie three times, and she's absolutely perfect, and very close to the description of Rose on the page - I think Billie's 21, and Rose is 19, so that's a great fit! ... Over the course of 13 episodes, Rose will change and grow, and hopefully, we can keep that story going in the years to come."

To read more of Davies' comments, as well as a gallery of Piper's previous roles and some video clips, visit the official site.

Additional Press Coverage & Links from May 24 & 25:

BBC News The Sun Yahoo! News Big News Network The Scotsman The Guardian Hello Magazine Manchester Online Daily Mirror The Times Reuters The Guardian (#1) (registration only) The Guardian (#2) (registration only) BBC Companions Gallery Waveguide The Daily Record Daily Telegraph Newkerala.com Irish RTE GQ Magazine The Age ABC New South Wales Top of the Pops (BBC) Australia Advertiser

BBC Radio 1 News ITV News Stuff New Zealand Irish Independent Ananova Ireland Online Irish Examiner Sky News Teletext icSouth London NineMSN Seven.com.au 4ni.co.uk Brand Republic Los Angeles Times Irish Examiner Megastar.co.uk WebIndia This Is London News Wales icKent icEssex Daily Mail BBC Sport (Game)

There were also stories in MX Australia, Australian Associated Press Bulletins, the Daily Star, the Birmingham Post ("He's got two hearts, Doctor Who, and they can both be broken," Eccleston says about the Tyler character, obviously from an earlier interview), the Press Association (in which Piper's role is one of four quiz questions from yesterday: "who's playing the new Doctor Who girl?"), the Independent, the Western Daily Press, Bristol Evening Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, the Irish Independent, the Western Mail ("What's Up Doc?"), ABC Radio (Australia), the Melbourne Herald-Sun, the Newcastle Herald (Australia), the Adelaide Advertiser, the South Wales Echo, and the aforementioned Express ("Dr. Who and the Teenage Pop Star"). The ABC New South Wales article adds a curious (and laughable) comment: "The new BBC series of Doctor Who has been a bit slow in terms of getting organised but it will be on the small screen in 2005." (With thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, Tim Collins, Stephen Durrant, Robert Byrne, Chuck Foster, Andrew Harvey, Andrew Pierce, Roger Anderson, Mike Simpson and everyone else who's sent us info & links)

21-year-old actress / singer Billie Piper is being touted as "in the running" to play female companion Rose Tyler in the new series according to a news report on BBC News, but according to the BBC (and confirmed by our sources) the role is still quite a long away from being cast. The article (which misidentifies the role as "Rose Taylor") will be "feisty" rather than a traditional companion role. "A screaming girly-style companion is unacceptable nowadays," Davies told BBCi. At this point, the production team has only begun casting and previous reports elsewhere that an announcement was imminent are untrue; we don't expect the actress taking the role to be announced until at least May, and this is likely publicity from the actress' own press agent. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg)