The BBC’s apology for posting about that shocking Doctor Who finale reveal before the whole world got a chance to watch comes a little too late.
For many, the spoiler was prominently featured online as soon as Ncuti Gatwa took his bow and regenerated into the franchise’s favorite companion, Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. Was she some sort of Rose variant, the role she originated in the series, meant to wrap things up with the David Tennant 14th Doctor running around? We don’t yet know. However, her appearance sent the internet buzzing as soon as the finale aired, including a spoiler-filled headline on the BBC itself, which read, “Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Billie Piper as he leaves Doctor Who.”
A few weeks after the Doctor Who finale, the BBC has addressed its fans who called out the company for the spoilery news story. In a statement the BBC shared, “Some people contacted us to complain that the headline gave away the ending, spoiling this Doctor Who episode for them. Others requested that the BBC be more conscious of spoilers going forward, particularly in the use of headlines.”
The explanation continued, “BBC journalists are of course entitled to use their judgment to decide which stories to cover and the manner in which they are reported. We also want our headlines to be as informative as possible. Although every story is different, we have discussed your concerns on this occasion with senior editors and we will be mindful of your views for future coverage.”
As an American viewer, I can attest that the finale didn’t get uploaded onto Disney+ until later than it aired in the UK; that was no surprise since it often felt as if the show was almost hidden among Disney+’s offerings, with inconsistently timed uploads that missed UK scheduling.
I stayed up until midnight in my attempt to not get spoiled but eventually gave up waiting—and I was among the fans who encountered the spoiler through an official post before getting a chance to watch the finale. It was a deflating disappointment on brand with how the BBC and Disney’s partnership went about handling its 15th Doctor, who deserved so much better.
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