Piper, Billie, 1982-

Billie Paul Piper (born Leian 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 the UK 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 the British 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. Piper appeared in the BBC One sci-fi series Doctor Who as Rose Tyler, companion to The 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 as Belle de Jour in the drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007–2011), as Brona Croft/Lily in the Showtime horror series Penny Dreadful (2014–2016), and as Karen Mars in Netflix Original series Collateral (2018), for which she was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. Piper co-created and starred in the Sky Atlantic series I Hate Suzie (2020–2022), for which she earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in 2021 and 2023. In 2025 she began starring as Isadora Capri, in the Netflix comedy-horror series Wednesday.