Former Doctor Who star Paul McGann has addressed the recent spread of AI-generated images showing his apparent return alongside Billie Piper in the franchise’s upcoming 2026 Christmas special.
McGann’s briefly-seen incarnation of the Doctor is beloved by hardcore fans, and has made a couple of cameo appearances in recent years. So, when supposedly-leaked images surfaced surfaced online last month showing McGann stood alongside Billie Piper on the TARDIS set, many rejoiced at the actor’s latest apparent return.
Alas, what looked to be photos taken on the set for next year’s Christmas special were nothing but very believable AI — something McGann has now acknowledged has confused numerous fans, and sparked a fake rumor mill.
“Just recently, in the past week or so, because of these AI pictures, there’s me and Billie Piper working together,” McGann said, speaking on the Gerry Anderson Podcast. “If only! And so people are like ‘it has to be true!’ The rumor mill kicks in. There’s this picture of Billie and me, I’m in costume.”
Of the various AI images created, several showed Paul McGann on the current TARDIS set from the most recent Doctor Who era, holding a script during what looks to be a break between shooting. In one image, McGann can be seen standing alongside Piper, who returned at the end of Doctor Who’s most recent finale in a shock twist after the sudden departure of lead actor Ncuti Gatwa. Here, Piper can be seen wearing Ncuti’s costume, just as we last saw her.
As AI fakes go, the images are clearly made by someone who knows the series and understands what fans will be looking for to determine whether the pictures are legitimate. Unfortunately for fans attempting to do just that, generative AI is now increasingly difficult to spot — to the extent that a recent fan-made Shenmue 4 trailer tricked many fans and sparked a furious legal threat from the franchise’s publisher.
As for next year’s Doctor Who special, current showrunner Russell T Davies has now told the Radio Times that he was still to write the script, let alone have it ready to go before cameras.
Despite all that, the sheer existence of the AI images is seemingly enough for fans who just want to believe. When asked whether the pictures were real after all, and whether he was just lying to keep the production a secret, McGann replied: “What do you mean it could be true? You see you’re making it worse. You’re part of the problem.”
Doctor Who is set to return in December 2026 for a one-off episode that’s expected to wrap up the series’ Billie Piper cliffhanger, though little else about the show’s future seems set in stone. Recent months have brought the belated confirmation that co-production partner Disney had walked away from the series, reportedly due to low ratings and its large budget.
Still, the recent confirmation by the BBC that it would self-fund a single Doctor Who special for next year has given the fans something to look forward to, while the corporation buys itself time to presumably find a more permanent co-funding deal elsewhere. Just don’t expect Paul McGann to be in the episode, probably.
Image credit: Aaron Davidson/WireImage via Getty.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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