In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album, Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

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.

She was offered a record deal at the age of 15, and in 1998, became the youngest artist to debut at number one in the UK Singles Chart with "Because We Want To", released under the stage mononym "Billie".

Peters was charged with, and eventually convicted of, stalking as well as making numerous threats against Piper and members of her family.

She also stated in the book that this was why "The Tide Is High" was not released as a single, writing: "The court case succeeded in doing what I alone could not – cutting the ties.

[15] Shortly before starting work on Doctor Who, she had a starring role in the horror film Spirit Trap, released in August 2005 to poor reviews.

Piper was cast as Rose Tyler, a travelling companion to the ninth incarnation of The Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston).

[18] After the completion of the very successful first series of the revamped Doctor Who, the British media regularly released conflicting reports about how long Piper would be staying with the show.

Piper starred as Hannah Baxter in Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007–2012), an ITV2 adaptation of Brooke Magnanti's The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, a memoir detailing the life of a high-class prostitute who adopted "Belle de Jour" as her pseudonym, which aired from September 2007.

In the first, a BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's historical novel The Ruby in the Smoke which was broadcast in December 2006, she played protagonist Sally Lockhart, a Victorian orphan.

The BBC planned to film all four of Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels, with Piper continuing in the role in The Shadow in the North, which was shown in December 2007.

Piper also appeared as Fanny Price in an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park, screened on ITV1 in March 2007.

She also shared the role of Betty with Sue Johnston in the two-part TV adaptation of A Passionate Woman, screened on BBC 1 in April 2010.

[33][34] In May 2011, it was announced that Piper would join the cast of a romance-comedy film directed by Robin Sheppard titled Truth about Lies.

On 11 May 2014, Showtime aired a new horror series called Penny Dreadful in which Piper plays Brona Croft, a poor Irish immigrant who is trying to escape a dark past.

Piper returned to the role of Rose Tyler alongside David Tennant in three stories that form the second volume of The Tenth Doctor Adventures audio drama series from Big Finish Productions.

[41][42] In 2019, Piper wrote, starred in and made her directorial debut with the "anti-romcom" Rare Beasts,[43] before appearing alongside Sally Hawkins, Alice Lowe, and David Thewlis in Eternal Beauty, directed by Craig Roberts.

[44] The following year, in August 2020, Piper co-created and starred in the critically acclaimed Sky Atlantic series I Hate Suzie.

Piper portrays the titular Suzie Pickles, a former child screen star whose life and career are turned upside down by a compromising phone hack.

The Guardian gave it a five-star review, describing Piper's character as "nude, lewd and joyously off the rails" in "this scabrously funny drama".

[47] On 7 May 2024, it was announced that Piper had joined the cast of Wednesday season two alongside Joanna Lumley and Christopher Lloyd; filming began that same month.

[48] Piper made her stage debut in a touring production of Christopher Hampton's play Treats, which opened in early 2007 in Windsor, Berkshire.

[52] Piper made her National Theatre debut in The Effect by Lucy Prebble, which ran from November 2012 to February 2013.

[53] The play went on to become the most critically acclaimed show of the season[citation needed] and Piper was nominated for the WhatsOnStage Best Actress award for her work in The Effect.

[60] In 2016, Piper starred in an adaptation of Federico García Lorca's 1934 play Yerma at the Young Vic, written and directed by Simon Stone.

[68] The New York Times said Piper's performance was "an unconditional victory" and "blisteringly powerful"[68] awarding it five stars, whilst Hollywood Reporter found her "simply staggering" adding; "When the actress appears at the curtain call, looking emotionally and physical exhausted, you find yourself relieved that she's OK and concerned that she'll have to do it all over again the next night.

"[69] Time Out likened Piper to an "angry beast" warning that her "astonishing" performance inflicted psychological-like emotions on the audience.

"[70] Vogue hailed Piper as "one of the great talents of her generation" and described her performance as "astonishing, raw, feral and terrifying."

"[70] Piper married television presenter Chris Evans in a secret ceremony at the Little Church of the West in Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas on 6 May 2001 after six months of dating.

[72][73] Piper married actor Laurence Fox on 31 December 2007, at St Mary's Church in Easebourne, West Sussex.