I'm so excited to be the next companion on Doctor Who! Can't wait to join the family! Thank you for all the lovely messages!
— Pearl Mackie (@Pearlie_mack) April 23, 2016
The cat is out of the bag! During Saturday's halftime period of the FA Cup semifinal between Everton and Manchester United, the Doctor's all-important new assistant was announced!
Assistant to both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi's Doctor since 2012, Mackie's predecessor, Jenna Coleman, has stepped out of the Tardis into the leading role of Queen Victoria in upcoming series Victoria, which would leave the Doctor without a playmate.
But not for long! Pearl Mackie, a relative newcomer to the screen with only two previous credits to her name, has been working steadily in London theatres before joining Doctor Who. Most recently she performed in the National Theatre's West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time throughout 2015.
Mackie will be taking on the role of Bill for the program's 2016 annual Christmas Day special, and season 10 opener, with further episodes slated for 2017.
In a statement, she said:
But not for long! Pearl Mackie, a relative newcomer to the screen with only two previous credits to her name, has been working steadily in London theatres before joining Doctor Who. Most recently she performed in the National Theatre's West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time throughout 2015.
Mackie will be taking on the role of Bill for the program's 2016 annual Christmas Day special, and season 10 opener, with further episodes slated for 2017.
In a statement, she said:
I’m incredibly excited 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!
“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.
Get excited, Whovians! Check out the Christmas Special trailer here.