News | Information | TV | Theatre | Films | Music | Photos | Interviews / Articles | Reviews | Downloads | Media | Links | Contact | Shop | Fans | Doctor Who
Biography

Freema Agyeman
 
 
Also In This Section: Biography / Profile / Where Have I Seen Her? / Awards

Billie Piper

Billie Piper was born on 22nd September 1982 in Swindon. Her parents, Mandy and Paul changed her given name from Leianne three weeks after registering her birth after they returned from the USA and decided they liked the name Billie better! Billie has one younger brother, Charlie, and two younger sisters, Harley and Ellie.

Billie grew up in Nine Elms, Swindon where she attended Brookfield Primary School and Bradon Forest Secondary School.

She later went on to study at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theare School where her classmates included pop star Matt Willis formely of Busted.

It was whilst at The Sylvia Young that Billie got her first big break Piper's first break appearing in an advert  promoting the pop magazine Smash Hits. Her role was to run up to the camera, blow a bubblegum bubble and shout "Pop!" Her fresh faced good looks and bubly personality caught the eye of the record producers and soon after she was offered a record deal at the age of fifteen.

In 1998 Billie became the youngest artist ever to debut at number one in the UK singles chart with "Because We Want To", released under the artist name "Billie". Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also debuted at Number One, and her first album, Honey to the B (released immediately afterwards) debuted at Number 14 in the UK album charts. She released two further singles off the album, "She Wants You" and "Honey to the Bee"; both songs debuted at Number 3.

Billie's phenomenol pop success was recognised at the 1999 BRIT Awards were she was nominated for two awards and were she took to the stage to perform an ABBA medley with some of the other hottest pop acts of the time. 1999 also saw her walk away with The Best Female gong at The Smash Hits Awards!

Billie returned to the Singles Chart in May 2000 with a new and sexier sound no doubt inspired by her American peers. She hit the Number 1 spot with "Day & Night". In September 2000 she released "Something Deep Inside" which reached Number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. In October 2000, Piper released her second album, Walk of Life, which reached Number 14 in the UK Album Chart. The song "Walk of Life", the final single off this album, was released in December 2000 and reached Number 25 in the UK Singles Chart. This proved to be Piper's last musical release, a low-key exit from the world of pop.

Billie married businessman, television presenter, and DJ Chris Evans in May 2001 in Las Vegas. Their marriage attracted much comment due to the sixteen-year age gap between the two.

Billie and Chris moved to LA, where Billie decided to take up acting classes to improve her skills. On returning to the UK  in 2003, Billie decided to end her pop career and return to her original ambition, acting. She quickly earned roles in the BBC  series The Canterbury Tales and the one-off drama Bella and the Boys.

In early 2004, she appeared in the films The Calcium Kid, as the romantic interest of Orlando Bloom's character, The Spirit Trap and Things to do Before You're Thirty.

In May 2004, it was announced that Billie was to play the character Rose Tyler, companion to the Doctor in the revived series of Doctor Who, beginning in 2005. She moved to Cardiff and began filming for the first series with her co star Christopher Eccleston.

In October 2004, Billie and her husband Chris began a trial separation.

In spring of 2005, just as Dotor Who hit our screens, it was confirmed that they would be divorcing. The two remain friends.

Doctor Who went on to become the success story of the year and Billie won new fans from even the harshest critics!

In July 2005 Billie started filming for her second series of Doctor Who alongside the new Doctor, David Tennant.

In October 2005, she won the Most Popular Actress category at the National Television Awards for her work on Doctor Who. BBC News named her as one of its "Faces of the Year" for 2005, primarily due to her success in Doctor Who.

At The South Bank Show Awards in January 2006 Billie Piper was awarded The Times Breakthrough Award for her successful transition from singing to acting.

In March 2006, the Television and Radio Industries Club named Billie as best new TV talent in their annual Tric awards.

The second series of Doctor Who hit UK TV in April 2006 and continued to be a huge success, making the covers of almost every magazine and newspaper in the UK!

Rumours began to cirulate that Billie would be leaving at the end of the second series and on 15th May 2006 the BBC released a statement to say that Billie would be leaving Doctor Who at the end of Series Two in the final episode Doomsday.

The door has been left open for the return of her popular charater Rose Tyler although plans for a spin off series Rose Tyler: Earth Defence were scrapped.

Since leaving Doctor Who Billie has been exremely busy she worked on a new drama for the BBC, an adaptation of the Phillip Pullman novel, The Ruby In The Smoke. This should was shown on the network at Christmas in 2006. Further installments are due to follow and filming of The Shadow In The North should begin soon.

Billie also signed a six-figure contract with publishers Hodder and Stoughton to write her autobiography, which was released in autumn 2006. A book signing tour of the UK coincided with it's release and it proved to be a popular seller.

January 2007 saw Billie make her stage debut in the play Treats. She plays Ann a woman who has to chosse between her ex bofriend and her current love interest. The play opened in Windsor and will open in the West End at the end of February 2007.

She will also be starring as Fanny Price in an ITV production of Mansfield Park due to be screened in 2007.