Doctor Who - Series 10: Pearl Mackie Is The New Companion

Three weeks ago, we learned about the casting for upcoming BBC3 online spin-off, Class and last weekend during half time at a football match on BBC1 we were finally introduced to the new companion for Series 10 of Doctor Who.

Pearl Mackie, whose credits have included an episode of Doctors and a recent performance in the West End production, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time has been cast in the role of new companion, Bill. A two minute scene debuted the character alongside Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor as the pair of them flee a Dalek chase. The scene is titled Friend From The Future, which can be seen on the official BBC site and YouTube channels.

Going by the press release for Mackie's casting, Pearl herself has described Bill as "wicked", as well as describing her character as "cool, strong, sharp, a little bit vulnerable with a bit of geekiness thrown in". It's also possible from Bill's attire that she might not be a completely modern companion with speculation that she could be picked up from either the 1980s or 1990s. I also liked in the minisode/trailer/whatever you want to refer to it as that Bill seemed pretty unaware of the Daleks and that mostly she was a total contrast to previous companions in Moffat's era such as Amy, River and Clara. The rapport between the 12th Doctor and Bill certainly has shades of the 7th Doctor and Ace, which I find quite amusing. As for the character's name - any chance it's short for Billie, Wilhelmina, Sybil or something else altogether? It could also be a nod to either Billie Piper who played Rose Tyler or possibly even William Hartnell who played the First Doctor but either way, I cannot wait to see this particular TARDIS team in action come 2017.

Press Release:  http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36111598

Series 10 of Doctor Who will begin filming next month. A Christmas special will air in December and the series will air in Spring 2017.