Little-known actor Pearl Mackie has been revealed as the new companion in 'Doctor Who'.
The actress is set to play Bill, who will travel through time and space in the TARDIS with Peter Capaldi's incarnation of the Time Lord on the BBC sci-fi drama.
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Pearl Mackie will play the Doctor's new companion, Bill
BBC
The news was announced live on BBC One on Saturday (23 April) night, during half-time of Match Of The Day's coverage of the FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Manchester United.
Fans were treated to a short scene, which saw Pearl in her new role, as Bill and the Doctor were chased by a Dalek.
Pearl, who is currently appearing in West End production 'The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night', said of landing the part: "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!
"Peter Capaldi is such a brilliant actor, and his Doctor is such a wacky and wonderful character, I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for him and Bill throughout time and space. 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.
"I always loved stage combat at drama school so I can't wait to get on set and kick some evil monsters into the next dimension!"
She added: "Shooting the trailer was absolutely mental, there were pyro technics and smoke and I met my first Dalek! I'm not sure it will ever become ‘the norm’ seeing crazy monsters on set, but I cannot wait to meet some more! The weirder the better, bring it on!”
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Pearl will make her first appearance in the 10th series of the BBC sci-fi drama
BBC
Peter Capaldi said: “It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl Mackie to 'Doctor Who'. A fine, fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm, she’s a refreshing addition to the TARDIS and will bring a universe of exciting new possibilities to The Doctor’s adventures.”
Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, added: “A new face in the TARDIS, a new voyage about to begin: welcome aboard the amazing Pearl Mackie! This is where the story really starts.”
Pearl will replace Jenna Coleman as the Doctor's assistant, who bowed out as Clara Oswald last year having landed the role of Queen Victoria in a new ITV drama.
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Jenna Coleman quit her role as Clara Oswald last year
Ben Birchall/PA Archive
Many names had been in the frame to take over from her, including former 'EastEnders' actress Rakhee Thakrar and 'Game Of Thrones' star Maisie Williams, who had already appeared in 'Doctor Who' as viking Ashildir.
Pearl now follows in the footsteps of Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman, Catherine Tate, Karen Gillan and Jenna, who have all appeared as various companions since the series was revived in 2005.
She will make her first appearance as Bill in the 10th season, which will be screened in 2017.
Filming of the 10th season - Moffat's last - will begin later this year, while 'Broadchurch' show runner, Chris Chibnall, will take the helm of the show in 2018.
'Doctor Who' Celebrity Appearances
Anne Robinson(01 of11)
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Anne voiced a robot version of herself, the hillarious Anne Droid, in the episode 'Bad Wolf'. The Anne Droid fronts a dystopian version of 'The Weakest Link', who obliterates contestants with a laser, rather than the 21st century Anne's acidic putdowns.The episode also saw Davina McCall playing a Davinadroid, who hosted a futuristic version of 'Big Brother' (we suppose that would be an Emmadroid now...). (credit:BBC)
Peter Kay(02 of11)
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Beneath those alarming prosthetics sits Peter Kay, who went all out for his appearance in the episode 'Love & Monsters'.The Northern comedian played The Abzorbaloff, who masqueraded as a human being, in an episode in which The Doctor and his companion featured only briefly.We suppose if you'd splashed out on that costume you'd want it to be seen as much as possible... (credit:BBC)
Kylie Minogue(03 of11)
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Kylie played Astrid Peth, companion to David Tennant's Doctor in the 2007 Christmas special, 'Voyage Of The Damned'.She received a mixed reception for the part, which was created especially for her by producer Russell T Davies, with most of the action taking place on a re-imagined futuristic Titanic.Good boots, too. (credit:WENN)
David Walliams(04 of11)
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Another British comedian who underwent quite the makeover for his 'Who' role.David played the Gibbis in the episode 'The God Complex', a rodent-like alien who encounters Matt Smith's Doctor when he crash-lands in what appears to be an 80s hotel.And you thought 'The Shining' was weird... (credit:BBC)
Suranne Jones(05 of11)
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Suranne had the honour of playing a new incarnation of a 'Doctor Who' staple in 2011, when she took on the role of a humanoid version of the TARDIS.In 'The Doctor's Wife', Surrane plays Idris, a human who takes on the personality of the TARDIS, with Michael Sheen also making a voice appearance in the episode. (credit:BBC)
James Corden(06 of11)
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James played The Doctor's temporary housemate, Craig Owens, in the episode 'The Lodger', which sees The Doctor stranded on Earth, and forced to fit in with everyday humans.He reprised the role in the following series, during which he's married to Sophie (Daisy Haggard), who Matt Smith's Doctor helped him get together with, and they have a baby son. (credit:BBC)
Olivia Colman(07 of11)
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Olivia's 'Doctor Who' role was a fairly ordinary one... oh, unless you count those terrifying gnashers, that is. (credit:BBC)
Keeley Hawes(08 of11)
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Like several guest stars before her, Keeley's appearance in the last series of 'Doctor Who' was only meant to be a one-off stint.However, her appearance as the villainous Ms Delphox was so well-received by Whovians that they can look forward to her reprising the role in the latest series. (credit:BBC)
Derek Acorah(09 of11)
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In a rare moment of self-awareness from Derek Acorah, he appeared in a brief cameo role during the episode 'Army Of Ghosts', joking that he'd no longer be of use once ghosts began to roam the earth.It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance on a TV screen, but we enjoyed it nontheless. (credit:BBC)
Catherine Tate(10 of11)
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Viewers were so taken with Catherine Tate's portrayal of Donna Noble that she eventually wound up as the Doctor's companion, and went on to become one of the most popular characters of the modern era of 'Doctor Who'. (credit:BBC)
Peter Capaldi(11 of11)
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Does he look a bit familiar to you?Long before he was cast as the Twelfth Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi made an appearance during David Tennant's time as Time Lord, playing Caecillius in an episode set in ancient Pompeii. (credit:BBC)