‘Doctor Who’: Fans react to Pearl Mackie’s casting as new companion Bill

Meet Bill, the new “Doctor Who” companion replacing Clara Oswald. Pearl Mackie has landed the coveted role of the Gallifreyan Time Lord’s new companion. So who is this spunky new character with the killer eyebrows to rival current Doctor Peter Capaldi’s?

Mackie was introduced during the BBC One half-time of the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday in the UK. A new clip titled “Friend from the Future” gives a glimpse of Bill’s inquisitive character. Let it not be said that she doesn’t ask the right questions in the face of danger.

YouTube/BBC America

“I’m incredibly exited to be joining the Doctor Who family. It’s such an extraordinary British institution, I couldn’t be prouder to call the TARDIS my home!” Mackie said, adding praises to Capaldi, whom she called a “brilliant actor.”

“Reading the script at the audition I thought Bill was wicked. Fantastically written, cool, strong, sharp, a little bit vulnerable with a bit of geekiness thrown in – I can’t wait to bring her to life and to see how she develops through the series.”

The 28-year-old London-born actress/dancer/singer doesn’t an extensive career yet, though it looks like that would change immediately. She currently stars in the National Theatre production “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time,” which is on until June. The series 10 of “Doctor Who” will resume in 2017, which would mean Mackie would have about six months to shoot with Capaldi.

As BBC touted, Mackie is multitalented and multilingual. She is skilled in ballet, jazz, period dance and tap dances. She performs as a singer and can speak French and Spanish. She was educated at Bristol’s Old Vic Theatre School and she’s “a big fan of afros!”

Mackie replaces Jenna Coleman, who played Clara Oswald, the “Impossible Girl” companion to both Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and Capaldi’s Twelfth. She is the second companion of colour in the rebooted series after Freema Agyeman eight years ago.

About Bill

Unsurprisingly, there’s not much known about Bill yet, but Capaldi once said that the new companion is unlike Clara in the sense that she doesn’t have a lot of history with the Doctor.

“Clara had prior knowledge of the Doctor. It was conceived as a human connected to your timeline, and so had access to the cosmic nature of the Doctor. She understood a little about how he was. And as she was already with Matt, she knew the Daleks and the TARDIS. Now we have someone who knows very little about the Doctor,” he told Brazilian website Omelete.

‘Doctor Who’: Peter Capaldi reveals new companion has been cast

And as the clip revealed, Bill appeared to be calm and cool even when they are in serious danger with a funny-looking machine that sounds like a “garlek.” She also asks the questions that fans have wanted to ask since the beginning of time.

What the Whovians are saying

It’s going to be an epic hair and eyebrow showdown between Mackie and Capaldi, according to the fans. The reception to Mackie’s casting announcement has been positive so far, though Whovians can’t help but notice the hair game would be incredible this coming season.

Read more:
Female ‘Doctor Who’: Cartoon Time Ladies version of the Gallifreyan Time Lords
‘Doctor Who’: Peter Capaldi might stay after Steven Moffat’s exit
‘Doctor Who’ season 10: ‘Game of Thrones’ star Maisie Williams rejects return of Ashildr