Billie Piper | |
|---|---|
 Piper in 2025 | |
| Born | Leian Paul Piper (1982-09-22)22 September 1982 (age 43) |
| Education | Sylvia Young Theatre School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Johnny Lloyd (2016–2023) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996–2003 |
| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
| Website | billiepiperofficial |
Billie Paul Piper (bornLeian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at the age of 15, which made her the youngest female singer to enter theUK Singles Chart at number one. Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album,Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI). Her second studio album,Walk of Life, was released in 2000 and spawned her third number-one single, "Day & Night". In 2003, Piper announced that she had ended her music career to focus on acting.[1]
Piper appeared in theBBC One sci-fi seriesDoctor Who asRose Tyler, companion tothe Doctor, as a regular from 2005 and 2006, and made guest appearances in 2008 and 2010. She made further appearances in the series'50th anniversary special (2013) as "The Moment", though still credited as Rose Tyler, and in "The Reality War" (2025) in an unnamed role.
She starred asBelle de Jour in the drama seriesSecret Diary of a Call Girl (2007–2011), asBrona Croft/Lily in theShowtime horror seriesPenny Dreadful (2014–2016), and as Karen Mars inNetflix Original seriesCollateral (2018), for which she was nominated for aBritish Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. Piper co-created and starred in theSky Atlantic seriesI Hate Suzie (2020–2022), for which she earned aBAFTA nomination forBest Actress in2021 and2023. In 2025 she began starring as Isadora Capri, in theNetflix comedy-horror seriesWednesday.
Piper has starred in five plays since 2007 and won the2017Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance inYerma, described as a "generation's best".[2]
Piper was born inSwindon,Wiltshire, on 22 September 1982.[3] She was initially named Leian Paul Piper, but her first name was legally changed to Billie on 25 April 1983 by her parents, Mandy Kent and Paul Piper.[3] She has three siblings.[4][5] Piper started dance classes aged five. Two years later, she appeared in soft-drink commercials for American TV before taking a role as an extra in the 1996 filmEvita.[6] She attendedBradon Forest School inPurton, near Swindon,[7] but left at around the age of 12[8] after winning a scholarship to theSylvia Young Theatre School in London.[9]
Piper's career began when she was selected to appear on the Saturday morning children's television showScratchy & Co. She later landed a role in a television commercial promoting the pop magazineSmash Hits. She was offered a record deal at the age of 15, and in 1998, became the youngest artist to debut at number one in the UK Singles Chart with "Because We Want To", released under the stagemononym "Billie".[10] Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also debuted at number one.
Piper's debut albumHoney to the B was released immediately afterwards, and entered and peaked at number 14 on theUK Albums Chart, selling more than 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone along with a platinum certification, and a double-platinum certification in New Zealand, where it peaked at number three on theNew Zealand Albums Chart. However,Honey to the B found limited success in other territories, such as Australia, where it entered and peaked at number 31 on theARIA Albums Chart despite the success of "Honey to the Bee", and in the US it went almost completely unnoticed, peaking at number 17 on theBillboard Heatseekers Chart.[11]
At the 1998Smash Hits Poll Winners' party, Piper was nominated for Best New Act (for which she came second, it being won byB*Witched) and won Princess of Pop (she was the first to win this award). She then released "She Wants You" as the third single from the album. The song reached number three. "Honey to the Bee" was released as the fourth single from the album; like the previous single, it reached number three. At the same time, "She Wants You" was released in the US, reaching number 9 on the "Hot Club Dance Play" chart.
In 1999, Piper was nominated for twoBRIT Awards and won two awards at the 1999Smash Hits Poll Winners' party, although she was reduced to tears at the latter ceremony after being booed by fans ofRitchie Neville, whom she was dating at the time. She then started to tour and release in Asia. The singles and the album were released in mid- to late 1999. In August of that year, the follow-up to "Because We Want To" was released in Japan, a single comprising "Girlfriend" and "She Wants You" combined. She recorded a song forPokémon: The First Movie titled "Makin' My Way (Any Way That I Can)".[12]
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During that time, Piper recorded her second album. She decided to release further records under her full name of Billie Piper. She returned to the Singles Chart in May 2000 with her third number-one single "Day & Night". She waited until September to release "Something Deep Inside", which reached number four, but her success waned. In October 2000, Piper released her second album,Walk of Life, which reached No. 14 in the UK Album Chart, but quickly fell off the charts and was certified silver in the UK. The album charted in two other countries: New Zealand, where it reached No. 17, and Australia, where it peaked at No. 23. In Piper's autobiography, she states that the album was a "commercial bomb". The song "Walk of Life", the final single off the album, was released in December 2000 and reached No. 25 in the UK Singles Chart.
In February 2001, Piper appeared in court to testify against a woman named Juliet Peters. Peters was charged with, and eventually convicted of, stalking as well as making numerous threats against Piper and members of her family.[13] Peters received psychiatric treatment as part of her sentence. According to her autobiography, Piper was reluctant about the court case, but was pushed by her parents and her label. She also stated in the book that this was why "The Tide Is High" was not released as a single, writing: "The court case succeeded in doing what I alone could not – cutting the ties. Without it I might have been tempted back."
In January 2007,BBC Radio 1 DJChris Moyles started a campaign to get "Honey to the Bee" back into the top 100 on download sales as a way of testing out new chart rules that favour download sales.[14] The campaign was successful, with "Honey to the Bee" re-entering the official UK singles chart at No. 17, eight years after it was first released.
In 2004, Piper appeared in the filmsThe Calcium Kid andThings to Do Before You're 30.[15] Shortly before starting work onDoctor Who, she had a starring role in the horror filmSpirit Trap, released in August 2005 to poor reviews. In November 2005, she starred asHero in a BBC adaptation ofMuch Ado About Nothing, updated for the modern day in a similar manner to theCanterbury Tales (2003)[16] series in which she featured, with Hero now being a weather presenter in a television station.
In 2005,Doctor Who was resurrected after a sixteen-year absence from TV. Piper was cast as Rose Tyler, a travelling companion to theninth incarnation ofThe Doctor (played byChristopher Eccleston). Piper won the Most Popular Actress category at the 2005 and 2006National Television Awards for her work onDoctor Who.[17]BBC News named her one of its "Faces of the Year" for 2005, primarily due to her success inDoctor Who. AtThe South Bank Show Awards in January 2006, she was awardedThe Times Breakthrough Award for her successful transition from singing to acting. In March, theTelevision and Radio Industries Club named her as the best new TV talent at their annual awards ceremony. In September, she was named Best Actress at the TV Quick and TV Choice Awards.[18]
After the completion of the very successfulfirst series of the revampedDoctor Who, the British media regularly released conflicting reports about how long Piper would be staying with the show. In March 2006, she claimed that she would continue onDoctor Who into its third series in 2007.[19] In May, however, she was reported to be considering quitting the series, although she did express an interest in playing a female version of the Doctor in the future (possibly related to a proposedDoctor Who spin-off series about Rose, which was later dropped).[20] In June, the BBC announced that she was to depart in "Doomsday" (2006), the final episode of the second series.[21] Her decision to leave had been made a year previously, but had not yet been made public.[22]
Piper starred asHannah Baxter inSecret Diary of a Call Girl (2007–2012), anITV2 adaptation ofBrooke Magnanti'sThe Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, a memoir detailing the life of a high-class prostitute who adopted "Belle de Jour" as her pseudonym, which aired from September 2007. As part of her preparation for the role, Piper met the memoir's author two years before her identity as a research scientist was revealed in a Sunday newspaper: "I absolutely had to meet the person behind the words to be able to take the part... people did ask me about her and I just had to smile, to avoid giving anything away."[23]
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In November 2007, the BBC confirmed that she would reprise her role as Rose Tyler in thefourth series ofDoctor Who for three episodes. Later, it was confirmed byRussell T Davies inDoctor Who Magazine that this return had been planned since she left. The series began in April 2008,[24] and after severalcameos, Piper made her official return as Rose in the series four final episodes "Turn Left", "The Stolen Earth", and "Journey's End". She did not initially state whether she would be reprising the role again. Interviewed onDoctor Who Confidential, she commented that "it's never really the end for the Doctor and Rose, but it's certainly the end for the foreseeable future".[25]
Piper completed work on two stand-alone television productions. In the first, a BBC adaptation ofPhilip Pullman's historical novelThe Ruby in the Smoke which was broadcast in December 2006, she played protagonistSally Lockhart, a Victorian orphan. The BBC planned to film all four of Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels, with Piper continuing in the role inThe Shadow in the North, which was shown in December 2007. Piper also appeared asFanny Price in an adaptation ofJane Austen's novelMansfield Park, screened onITV1 in March 2007.[26] This was her first acting role on television for a broadcaster other than the BBC. She then provided voice-overs for various television commercials, including one forComfort fabric-softener airing in June 2007.
The second series ofSecret Diary of a Call Girl, with Piper again in the starring role, started filming in May 2008, during which a body double was hired to hide Piper's pregnancy during the sex scenes.[27][28][29] Piper was also quoted during this time as worrying that she may have "ruined her future career" due to the nature of the topless scenes and other sexual scenes required.[30] The third series began airing in January 2010.[31] For the third and fourth series Piper was credited as executive producer. In January 2010, tying in with the broadcast of the third series and following on from the real Belle de Jour confirming her real identity, ITV2 broadcast an interview special,Billie and the Real Belle Bare All, which saw Piper meeting withDr Brooke Magnanti on camera for the first time.[32]
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She reprised her role as Rose Tyler in "The End of Time", the last of the2008–2010Doctor Who specials, as a younger version of Rose Tyler (specifically 3 months before her initial meeting with the Ninth Doctor in 2005 episode "Rose"). She also shared the role of Betty withSue Johnston in the two-part TV adaptation ofA Passionate Woman, screened on BBC One in April 2010.[33][34] In May 2011, it was announced that Piper would join the cast of a romance-comedy film directed byRobin Sheppard titledTruth about Lies.[35] In January 2013, Piper stated onThe Graham Norton Show that she had not been asked to return for the 50th anniversary ofDoctor Who,[36] however, the BBC announced in the following March that she would be returning in the special,[37] titled "The Day of the Doctor", which was broadcast in November 2013. Despite being credited as Rose Tyler, Piper's actual role in the episode is the consciousness of "The Moment", a sentient weapon which takes on the form of Rose's "Bad Wolf" personality.
On 11 May 2014, Showtime aired a new horror series calledPenny Dreadful in which Piper playsBrona Croft, a poor Irish immigrant who is trying to escape a dark past.[38] In the show's second series, Brona is resurrected by Victor Frankenstein as "Lily".[39] She was nominated for Best TV Supporting Actress at the 2015Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. The show was renewed for a third and final series, which she began filming on 17 September 2015.
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Piper returned to the role of Rose Tyler alongsideDavid Tennant in three stories that form the second volume ofThe Tenth Doctor Adventures audio drama series fromBig Finish Productions. One story also featuredCamille Coduri reprising her role as Rose's motherJackie Tyler.[40] The set was released in November 2017. It was later announced that Piper would be headlining her own audio drama titledRose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon. The box set featured four stories with Rose Tyler alongside her parents Jackie (Coduri) andPete Tyler (Shaun Dingwall) as well as featuring Clive from the episode "Rose", played by his original actorMark Benton. The first volume was released in September 2019 with two more expected in October 2022 and September 2023.[41][42]
In 2019, Piper wrote, starred in and made her directorial debut with the "anti-romcom"Rare Beasts,[43] before appearing alongsideSally Hawkins,Alice Lowe, andDavid Thewlis inEternal Beauty, directed byCraig Roberts.[44] The following year, in August 2020, Piper co-created and starred in the critically acclaimedSky Atlantic seriesI Hate Suzie. The series was also co-created and written bySecret Diary of a Call Girl creatorLucy Prebble. Piper portrays the titular Suzie Pickles, a former child screen star whose life and career are turned upside down by a compromising phone hack. Critics noted her own experience of having been a prodigious young singer-turned-actress who becomes famous at a young age would have informed her role as Pickles.The Guardian gave it a five-star review, describing Piper's character as "nude, lewd and joyously off the rails" in "this scabrously funny drama".[45]
In March 2021, it was announced that Piper would appear in the film adaptation of a children's book calledCatherine Called Birdy.[46] In April 2022, Piper was announced to star and executive produce aNetflix series adaptation of theTerri White memoirComing Undone.[47] In February 2023, it was announced she would playSam McAlister, the TV producer who securedNewsnight'sinterview with Prince Andrew, inScoop, a Netflix adaptation of McAlister's book.[48] On 7 May 2024, it was announced that Piper had joined the cast ofWednesday season two alongsideJoanna Lumley andChristopher Lloyd; filming began that same month.[49]
In May 2025, Piper returned toDoctor Who in "The Reality War" as a character who appeared to regenerate fromNcuti Gatwa’sFifteenth Doctor. Piper was not credited as theDoctor at the conclusion of the episode or in subsequent media releases, so her exact role remains unknown.[50]
In August 2025, Piper appeared in theNetflix Original seriesWednesday as Isadora Capri, the new music professor of Nevermore Academy. Several episodes feature Piper singing on screen for the first time since ending her music career, including a duet of "Bad Moon Rising" withCatherine Zeta Jones (who plays Morticia).[51]
Piper made her stage debut in a touring production ofChristopher Hampton's playTreats, which opened in early 2007 inWindsor, Berkshire.Treats was to have ended its tour in the West End, at theGarrick Theatre, starting in February 2007 with previews. The play officially closed in May.[52]
Piper played Carly in the UK premiere ofNeil LaBute's playReasons to Be Pretty at theAlmeida Theatre, running from November 2011 to January 2012. It received critical acclaim fromThe Guardian,The Observer,London Evening Standard,Metro,The Times,The Telegraph,Time Out,The Arts Desk,Daily Express andThe Financial Times, all of which rated the production with a minimum of four stars.[53] BBC Radio 4 described Piper as "fantastic, completely brilliant. Her performance is so convincing and moving, an absolutely terrific performance".[54] TheJewish Chronicle hailed Piper's performance as second to none, being the best of the night, and stating that "no actor can cry more convincingly than Piper", giving the show four stars.[55]
Piper made herNational Theatre debut inThe Effect byLucy Prebble, which ran from November 2012 to February 2013.[56] The play went on to become the most critically acclaimed show of the season[citation needed] and Piper was nominated for theWhatsOnStage Best Actress award for her work inThe Effect. The play was also nominated for Best New Play and Best Set Designer.[57][58] Due to success and demand, the show was extended for a further month and an online petition was started for the show to be added to the National Theatre's Live Programming.[59] In 2013, Piper was nominated for Best Actress at theOlivier Awards andEvening Standard Theatre Awards forThe Effect.[60][61] Piper also starred inGreat Britain at theRoyal National Theatre in 2014.[62] On 29 May 2014, Piper appeared alongsideBen Whishaw in thePlayhouse Presents television specialFoxtrot.[63]
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In 2016, Piper starred in an adaptation ofFederico García Lorca's 1934 playYerma at theYoung Vic, written and directed bySimon Stone.[64] Upon opening, the play received critical acclaim, mainly for Piper's performance. She was described as "earth-quaking" byThe Guardian[65] and "a generation's greatest performance" byThe Stage.[2]The Independent described her as "shattering" with the reviewer admitting he found himself "still visibly shaking from its effects on theTube home afterwards."[66]The Jewish Chronicle proclaimed, "This is the performance to which [Piper's] previous excellent appearances on stage have been leading. She's one of those rare actresses who can be monumentally tragic and almost casually realistic at the same time."[67] Conversely,The Arts Desk warned its readers that her performance was "an utterly gruelling, almost unbearable 100 minutes."[68] Piper won all six of the available Best Actress awards for that one performance, making it one of the most acclaimed and awarded stage performances in British theatre history, and making her the only actor to have picked up all six Best Actress awards for a single performance, including the coveted Olivier Award.[citation needed]
On 31 August 2017,Yerma streamed live into more than 700 cinemas across the UK. Whilst ticket sales are yet to be confirmed, more than 100 cinemas confirmed they had sold out to capacity with many requesting encore copies.[69] In an unprecedented event, after the live screening had finished, '#Yerma' trended on Twitter at number three, with some writers claiming Twitter had 'gone into complete meltdown' over Piper's performance.[70] The play was streamed across the world from 21 September.
Piper reprised the performance in a limited run at New York'sPark Avenue Armory during March and April 2018, her New York stage debut. She once again received unanimous critical praise.[71] TheNew York Times said Piper's performance was "an unconditional victory" and "blisteringly powerful"[71] awarding it five stars, whilstHollywood Reporter found her "simply staggering" adding; "When the actress appears at the curtain call, looking emotionally and physical exhausted, you find yourself relieved that she's OK and concerned that she'll have to do it all over again the next night."[72]Time Out likened Piper to an "angry beast" warning that her "astonishing" performance inflicted psychological-like emotions on the audience. NBC's Katie Englehart said, "Piper is so devastating I almost vomited in my seat – that doesn't sound like an endorsement but it is."[73]Vogue hailed Piper as "one of the great talents of her generation" and described her performance as "astonishing, raw, feral and terrifying." The AM New York critic claimed to be left "gasping for air" whilst theNew York Stage Review found Piper's "downward spiral into abyss utterly harrowing and blazingly remarkable."[73]
Piper married television presenterChris Evans in a secret ceremony at theLittle Church of the West inParadise, Nevada nearLas Vegas on 6 May 2001 after six months of dating. Their marriage attracted additional attention due to Piper being 18 years old to Evans's 35.[74] The couple separated in 2004, and amicably divorced in May 2007, stressing that they remain friends.[75][76]
Piper married actorLaurence Fox on 31 December 2007, at St Mary's Church inEasebourne,West Sussex.[77] They have two sons.[78][79] Piper was granted a divorce in May 2016.[80][81] In 2024, Piper commented on the divorce inBritish Vogue, where she expressed the desire for her children to have privacy and anonymity, and the difficulty of this given Fox's public profile.[82][40][42][83] Fox disputed some of Piper's claims. He also said that the pair had been to court many times since their split and criticised the family court system as biased towards the mother.[84]
Piper began dating Johnny Lloyd, the frontman ofTribes, in 2016. Their daughter was born on 2 January 2019.[85] The couple separated in 2023.[86]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Evita | Girl wantingJuan Perón's autograph | Uncredited | [87] |
| The Leading Man | Girl | [87] | ||
| 2004 | The Calcium Kid | Angel | [88] | |
| 2005 | Things to Do Before You're 30 | Vicky | [15] | |
| Spirit Trap | Jenny | [89] | ||
| 2010 | Animals United | Bonnie (voice) | [90] | |
| The Raven | Raven | Short film | [91] | |
| 2016 | City of Tiny Lights | Shelley | [92] | |
| 2017 | Beast | Grace | Short film | [93] |
| 2018 | Two for Joy | Lilah | [94] | |
| 2019 | Rare Beasts | Mandy | Also writer and director | [95] |
| Eternal Beauty | Nicola | [96] | ||
| 2022 | Catherine Called Birdy | Lady Aislinn | [46] | |
| 2024 | Scoop | Sam McAlister |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Canterbury Tales | Alison Crosby | Episode: "The Miller's Tale" | [16] |
| 2004 | Bella and the Boys | Bella | Television film | [97] |
| 2005 | ShakespeaRe-Told | Hero | Episode: "Much Ado About Nothing" | [98] |
| 2005–2006, 2008, 2010 | Doctor Who | Rose Tyler | 32 episodes: Series1,2 and4,2010 special | [24] |
| 2006 | The Ruby in the Smoke | Sally Lockhart | Television film | [97] |
| 2007 | Mansfield Park | Fanny Price | [99] | |
| The Shadow in the North | Sally Lockhart | [100] | ||
| 2007–2011 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Hannah Baxter | 32 episodes; also shadow-directed a couple of scenes of each series | [29] |
| 2010 | A Passionate Woman | Betty | 2 episodes | [33] |
| 2012 | True Love | Holly | Episode: "Holly" | [101] |
| 2013 | Doctor Who | The Moment | Episode: "The Day of the Doctor" | [102] |
| 2014 | Playhouse Present | Badger | Episode: "Foxtrot" | [103] |
| 2014–2016 | Penny Dreadful | Brona Croft /Lily Frankenstein | 27 episodes | [104] |
| 2018 | Collateral | Karen Mars | 4 episodes | [105] |
| 2020–2022 | I Hate Suzie | Suzie Pickles | 11 episodes; also co-creator | [45] |
| 2024 | Austin | As herself | ||
| Kaos | Cassandra | [106] | ||
| 2025 | Doctor Who | Sixteenth Doctor | Episode: "The Reality War" | [107][108] |
| Wednesday | Isadora Capri | Main role, Season 2 | [109] |
| Year | Title | Role | Production | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures | Rose Tyler | Big Finish Productions | Volume 2 | [40] |
| 2019 | Warhammer Adventures: City of Lifestone | Narrator | Black Library | Part of theRealm Quest series | [110] |
| Warhammer Adventures: Lair of the Skaven | [111] | ||||
| Warhammer Adventures: Forest of the Ancients | [112] | ||||
| 2019–present | Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon | Rose Tyler | Big Finish Productions | Volumes 1–3 | [42] |
| 2020 | Mansfield Park | Narrator | Audible | Part ofThe Jane Austen Collection | [113] |
| Warhammer Adventures: Flight of the Kharadron | Black Library | Part of theRealm Quest series | [114] |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Treats | Ann | Garrick Theatre | [115] | |
| 2011–2012 | Reasons to Be Pretty | Carly | Almeida Theatre | [116] | |
| 2012–2013 | The Effect | Connie | National Theatre | [117] | |
| 2014 | Great Britain | Paige | [118] | ||
| 2016 | Yerma | Yerma | Young Vic | [119] | |
| 2017 | Revival of the 2016 production | ||||
| 2018 | Park Avenue Armory | Off-Broadway transfer | [120] |
Piper has won and been nominated for more than 70 recognised awards. During her musical career, she was nominated for twoBRIT Awards in 1999. In 2005 and 2006, she won twoNational Television Awards for Best Actress for her acting work inDoctor Who.[17] She has also been nominated for twoBritish Academy Television Awards forBest Supporting Actress andBest Actress for her performances in the television dramasCollateral (2018) andI Hate Suzie (2020–2022), respectively.
For her role in the 2016 production ofFederico García Lorca'sYerma, Piper has won a total of six Best Actress awards, including theLaurence Olivier Award, and is now the only actor to have earned all of the currently available UK theatre Best Actress awards for a single performance.[121]
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