Piper blames weather for Rose Tyler 'lisp'

Billie Piper has suggested that her vocal delivery as Rose Tyler during Doctor Who's fourth season may have been hampered by the cold weather.

Piper's return in the episode 'Turn Left' provoked criticism over the actress's apparent inability to reprise Rose's distinctive 'chavette' dialect. A number of viewers speculated that Piper may have been suffering from a speech impediment or developed a lisp prior to filming.

"I got really paranoid," Piper told Radio Times magazine. "Maybe it was really cold and my lips were tense, because we were shooting in the middle of winter and I'm always in a tiny leather jacket. But it seemed fine when I heard it."

Piper added: "When I went to work the next morning, the make-up guy said: 'Your speech sounded really funny'. I wonder if it was something in the final mix. Strange."

> Click here for our review of 'Turn Left'