Last night, Netflix held a star-studded premiere for Wednesday season 2, which fittingly launches on the streaming giant next Wednesday. Director Tim Burton, Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega and Morticia star Catherine Zeta-Jones were among the A-listers in attendance on the purple carpet. 

Excitement has also been building for new actors joining the cast, including Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley and Billie Piper. Doctor Who icon Piper, 42, is set to play Nevermore’s new head of music, Isadora Capri, in the second installment of the Netflix show. 

While Piper has enjoyed many high-profile acting roles, including Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, Hannah Baxter in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Brona Croft in Penny Dreadful and Suzie Pickles in I Hate Suzie, fans may not know she first shot to fame as a 90s popstar. 

When Piper was just 15 years old, her debut single Because We Want To stormed the 1998 charts, making her the youngest female singer to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one.

Her follow-up single Girlfriend also reached number one, as well as her 2000 single Day and Night. 

The star released two albums, 1998’s Honey to the B and 2000’s Walk of Life, before retiring from music in 2003 to focus on acting.

Two years later, she appeared in Doctor Who for the first time, launching her acting career after playing one of the Doctor’s most memorable companions. 

This year, Doctor Who fans were thrilled to see Piper return to the show, seemingly taking on the role of the new doctor after Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor regenerated into her. 

While the star has spent most of her adult life as an actress, pop fans may fondly remember her music career.

In 1998, Smash Hits even declared her ‘Princess of Pop’ and ‘Best Female Solo Star’.

Piper’s name also often made the headlines thanks to her high-profile marriages to radio DJ Chris Evans from 2001 to 2007 and controversial actor and right-wing political activist Laurence Fox from 2007 to 2016.

Piper’s new role in Wednesday season 2 is her latest in a series of Netflix roles, as she previously appeared as Cassandra in 2024 series Kaos and as Sam McAlister in 2024 film Scoop. 

Now, fans can’t wait to see the Doctor Who legend join the streaming platform’s most successful show of all time. 

The Netflix synopsis for Wednesday reads: “Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), returns to prowl the Gothic halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await. 

“This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem. 

“Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery.”

Wednesday season 2: Part 1 is coming to Netflix on August 6.