Rose Tyler - Reception

Reception

After a preview of the first series, The Guardian's Owen Gibson described Rose as "newly empowered" and a "go-getting teen in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer mould." Ahead of the series premiere on Australian Network ABC the Sydney Morning Herald's Robin Oliver described Rose's role in the series as being "more the Doctor's equal than previous companions" and that this was "no mean achievement against Eccleston's acting skills." Seventh Doctor actor Sylvester McCoy opined that Piper was "wonderful in the role" and the relationship between her and the Doctor was "quite extraordinary". Porter suggests in her analysis of the character that the romance between her and the Doctor widened the demographic appeal of the series. She claims that the love story "simmers enough below the surface that adults, especially women who find time-lords sexy, watched the series for Rose's interplay with the Doctor". In their book Who is the Doctor?, Graeme Burk and Robert Smith? described the climactic kiss between the Ninth Doctor and Rose in "The Parting of the Ways" as being something "we all secretly wanted, even though it ultimately killed him".

Burk and Smith? refer to the Doctor and Rose as "acting like smug idiots" in the episode "Tooth and Claw" and that this made them unlikeable. However they noted that "fortunately there are consequences: the season arc gets kicked off as a direct result of the Doctor and Rose being so irritating". Harry Venning of The Stage commented that the eventual parting scene between Rose and the Doctor in "Doomsday" was "beautifully written and movingly played," with "not a dry eye in the universe". Burk and Smith singled out Piper's performance in the episode for special praise stating she "is astonishing at capturing the reality of someone whose world suddenly, finally collapses." Remarking on Piper's departure, Dek Hogan of Digital Spy stated that "Billie Piper’s energy has undoubtedly been one of the reasons that this revival has been so successful and the difficult third series will be so much more so without her." Stephen Brook of The Guardian commented that "the departure of the much-loved Rose …  was brilliantly handled and completely unexpected."

Stephen James Walker, a writer of reference works on Doctor Who, gave an unfavourable review to Rose's return in "Turn Left" in his "unauthorised guide to Doctor Who's fourth series," Monsters Within. He thought that Billie Piper was "distinctly below par", citing her gaunt and malnourished appearance, new hairstyle, and slight lisp as reasons why her acting was not her finest. He criticised her role in the episode, stating it had been "far less well worked out" than Donna's. Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy also noted a change in Piper's enunciation; he compared her accent to " her mouth numbed with local anaesthetic". In Rawson-Jones' review of the series finalé he notes that whilst having the Doctor and Rose 'cop off' would be divisive with the shows audience, "Davies wisely managed to please both parties" by paring her off with a human clone instead. However, IGN's Travis Fickett reacted unfavourably towards Rose's return and her pairing with the Doctor's human clone. He thought that it undermined her "perfect send off" in "Doomsday" as she was on the sidelines for much of "Journey's End", and her ending up with the human Doctor "feels like an insult to the character".

Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times named Rose the ninth best sidekick of all time, referring to her as "the saucy and smart character who was key to the success of the Russell T Davies relaunch of Doctor Who in 2005". She was named the best Doctor Who companion by Digital Spy in 2011, who opined that she worked best alongside the Ninth Doctor. In 2006 she was voted best companion by readers of Doctor Who Magazine. In an online poll in late 2010 conducted by the Radio Times, with over 3,000 participants, Rose was again voted the most popular companion. She was listed as the second-best female companion behind Sarah Jane Smith by The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Fuller, and also by Daniel Martin of The Guardian in 2007. In 2012 Will Salmon of SFX magazine listed Rose's original exit as the greatest companion departure in the history of Doctor Who as he felt it "impossible not to be moved by the sudden severance of their relationship".

At the 2005 National Television Awards, Billie Piper won the "Most Popular Actress" award for her role as Rose. In the BBC Online "Best of Drama" poll in 2005 Piper won the Best Actress category with 59.76% of the vote. She was also voted the Most Desirable Star with 26.47%. In January 2006 she was awarded the Breakthrough Award for Rising British Talent at The South Bank Show Awards. Piper again won the Most Popular Actress category at the 2006 National Television Awards for her work on the second series of Doctor Who. In September 2006, Piper was named Best Actress at the TV Quick and TV Choice Awards. Radio Times's Tom Cole discussed the importance of Doctor Who in boosting Piper's career in an article on how former Doctor Who actors can now expect more than "a life of signing autographs at provincial sci-fi conventions." He notes that Piper's portrayal of Rose "firmly cemented her credentials as an actress" and cited the variety of roles she had taken on since leaving the show as proof that "as far as post-Who careers go, they don't get much healthier than Billie's."