Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The moment we have been waiting for is HERE!
The BBC has announced that Pearl Mackie will be stepping aboard the TARDIS as the Twelfth Doctor’s new companion.
Her character, Bill, was introduced in the form of a new trailer, aptly titled Friend from the Future, in which Peter Capaldi and his incoming co-star came face to face with the dreaded Daleks. Bill has been described as “cool, strong, sharp, a little bit vulnerable with a bit of geekiness thrown in” and she will accompany the Doctor throughout Series 10 in 2017.
Filming on her string of adventures will begin in Cardiff next month, and Pearl has revealed that she cannot wait to get started. “I am incredibly excited to be joining the Doctor Who family,” she said. “It’s an institution so I couldn’t be prouder to call the TARDIS my home.”
Above - Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie as the Twelfth Doctor and his new companion, Bill.
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Peter, meanwhile, added: “It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl Mackie to Doctor Who. A fine, fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm, she is a refreshing addition to the TARDIS and will bring a universe of exciting new possibilities to the Doctor’s adventures.”
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The moment has finally arrived! It’s Saturday 23rd April 2016 and the Doctor Who fandom is on tenterhooks as Whovians across the land eagerly twiddle their thumbs in anticipation for tonight’s FA Cup semi-final on BBC One.
And yes, that is a sentence we never thought we’d say. Don’t worry, though, it’s all for a good cause, as the brand new companion will be spectacularly announced during half-time (around 6pm BST), which means that a brand new era in the TARDIS is about to begin! Pretty exciting, huh? And it’s about time, too!
We don’t know what shocks and surprises tonight will bring, but stick with us throughout the day for live updates right here and on our Twitter, @WhovianNet. We’ll be covering the build up, the announcement and the aftermath, so there really is only one place to be. Get comfy, get involved and join us as we await the arrival of our new hero! Somebody’s life is about to change forever. Let us know your predictions and general excitement below!
The new companion will be revealed at around 6pm BST
4:00pm: 2 hours and counting! We’ll be spending the next 120 minutes singing along to the #DoctorWho theme tune. Thanks.
3:46pm: We wonder how the #NewCompanion is feeling now, knowing that their life is about to change forever… #TheCalmBeforeTheStorm #DoctorWho
3:12pm: Who would be your DREAM companion? Your suggestions can and should be as weird and wonderful as you like! #DoctorWho
3:00pm: Just 3 hours until the world finally gets to meet the #NewCompanion! Is this how time normally passes?! #DoctorWho
2:45pm: It only feels like yesterday that @Jenna_Coleman_ was announced, yet here we are waiting for the next one. Time really does fly! #DoctorWho
2:20pm: #ICYMI, here are WhovianNet’s top picks for the #NewCompanion. Is your money on any of them? Let us know! #DoctorWho
2:00pm: 4 hours and counting. Get ready to meet the #NewCompanion! The next chapter in #DoctorWho history is about to begin.
1:00pm: 5 hours to go! Who do YOU think the #NewCompanion will be? And no, you can’t nominate yourself. Place your (realistic) bets now! #DoctorWho
12:00pm: Have you seen the teaser for tonight’s reveal? The #NewCompanion already has a lot of running to do! #DoctorWho
11:27am: Guys, this is NOT a drill. The #NewCompanion has a HAND. We don’t know how much more of this we can take. #DoctorWho
11:16am: #ICYMI, an Earth-shattering picture of shoes. Definitely a step in the right direction. #NewCompanion #DoctorWho
10:50am: It’s Saturday! The FA Cup semi-final is almost here! Oh, and the #NewCompanion reveal. WAY more exciting. #DoctorWho
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
Doctor Who fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next companion since Clara Oswald flew merrily off into the vortex, and now we’re just a mere stone’s throw away from the biggest secret in showbiz being revealed!
The BBC will finally be unveiling Peter Capaldi’s incoming co-star during Match of the Day (make of that what you will…) tomorrow night, giving us just enough time to whittle down our last minute predictions. It’s tradition for every actor under the sun to be put forward for the role, so if you’ve ever appeared on TV, you’re probably in the running. Congrats.
A potentially problematic statistic, though, since the possibilities are literally endless, but it’s always fun to speculate nonetheless. The interminable plethora of potential candidates has certainly never stopped us guessing before, so here’s our selection of five actresses who could be about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. It’s a female dominated list purely because Peter Capaldi has already referred to the new companion as such, plus it looks like the pattern will be continued if this glimpse in the reveal teaser is anything to go by, so please don’t read anything into it. At all. Let us know if you agree with these predictions…
RAKHEE THAKRAR
It’s almost impossible to know where to start when it comes to predicting the next companion, so we might as well kick things off with the frontrunner.
In terms of press and media coverage, Rakhee Thakrar has been the hot favourite to be announced as Jenna Coleman’s successor since… well, Jenna Coleman’s exit was announced. It would make sense, too, if the BBC want to keep the ball rolling with the “soap star turned sci-fi icon” theme. Jenna’s most high profile role before being cast as Clara was in Emmerdale, while Rakheerecently bid farewell to the daily trials and tribulations of Albert Square after a two-year stint as Shabnam Masood in EastEnders. She received critical acclaim for her performance amidst such hard-hitting storylines as the stillbirth of her baby, which landed her a National Telvision Award nomination, plus the revelation that she had a secret daughter. And no, it wasn’t River Song. This time.
Likelihood? Pretty likely, actually. She definitely paid her dramatic dues on the Square, and her presence as a soap actor means that she’d already be a familiar face to a mainstream audience, which certainly helps.
MIRANDA HART
Steven Moffat has made no secret of the fact that he’s been on a mission to inject more comedy into Doctor Who over recent years, leading fans to theorise that the next TARDIS co-resident will have an honourable history of hilarity on their reputable résumé.
With that in mind, Miranda Hart might just be exactly what the Doctor ordered. Already an established and popular force at the BBC, Miranda has previously been linked to Doctor Who before, both in a guest star and potential companion capacity. In fact, she was the first to express her disappointment when her proposed appearance in a Christmas Special was scrapped for her to focus on her own self-named sitcom instead (that’s showbiz, Miranda!), but now that the pressures of writing and starring in her own show are out of the way, there is seemingly nothing stopping her from fulfilling her dreams as the Doctor’s next coveted sidekick. It worked for Catherine Tate.
PEARL MACKIE
Bagging an established actor to star alongside Peter Capaldi would be a huge coup for the BBC, particularly for Series 10 which has already been pre-billed as “event TV” as Steven Moffat’s last hurrah at its showrunning reigns.
It is perhaps even more exciting, however, when the companion role is used to launch the career of a rising performer. Such would be the case for our next contender, who is a latecomer to the race but a strong one nonetheless. In fact, she’s probably worth keeping your eye on.
According to a report in Radio Times today, Pearl Mackie is currently the bookies’ film favourite to be named as the Twelfth Doctor’s new BFF, with 4/6 odds predicting that her life is about to change forever. Does time and space await? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, but she did just start following former companions Freema Agyeman and Jenna Coleman, as well as Doctor Who’s casting director Andy Pyror, on Twitter so, you know… The plot thickens, etc etc.
Check out her IMDb profile to find out more about her two previous acting credits (one of which is Doctors, which is halfway there!), but rest assured that she is currently receiving critical acclaim for her performance in the West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. We’ve seen it and it’s ace. One to watch, whether she’s announced tomorrow or not.
GEORGINA CAMPBELL
Odds have just been slashed on Georgina Campbell, according to Betfair, so if she just so happens to be who your money’s on, you’re going to have a very good weekend indeed. Ker-ching!
Seriously, though, despite being a relative newcomer to the showbiz scene, Georgina has certainly made a big impact on the industry thus far. Her performance in the BBC Three drama Murdered by My Boyfriend was met with universal acclaim, and it even won her a coveted BAFTA Award for Best Actress, which is certainly impressive.
If her CV is anything to go by, she’d better make more room in her trophy cabinet if she really is about to step aboard the TARDIS, and an actress joining the show with such a prestigious accolade already under her belt would be an amicable achievement indeed. Oh, and she’s been in Doctors, too. We definitely see a pattern emerging here.
As a side note, she’s just been cast in the new series of Broadchurch, as created by soon-to-be Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall, so be sure not to write her off in the Whoniverse if she doesn’t land the companion gig this time round. She’s definitely in with the right crowd.
MADDY HILL
Last but certainly not least is another soap actress whose shenanigans in Albert Square have put her in excellent stead to take on the weird and wonderful world of Doctor Who. And no, we’re not talking about Dot Cotton. Unfortunately.
Maddy Hill quickly became one of EastEnders‘ most popular characters when she was introduced as Nancy Carter back in 2014. Her subsequent storylines, most notably her ongoing struggles with epilepsy, helped to establish her as an on screen force to be reckoned with. She has also gone up against her on screen father, Danny Dyer, on numerous occasions (and, more importantly, lived to tell the tale!), so there’s literally nothing she can’t do. Seriously. He’s scarier than Davros himself.
Oh, and this assumption has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she literally just left EastEnders earlier tonight. Honest. Although a wise man did once tell us to never ignore a coincidence. Unless you’re busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence. As always, only time will tell. Not long now!
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
A short teaser was aired on BBC One earlier tonight (Friday) to promote this weekend’s reveal of the new Doctor Who companion.
The ominous trailer features two unidentified people running away from danger, though obviously we can assume that one is Peter Capaldi and the other is the actor/actress who will be stepping aboard the TARDIS as his coveted new sidekick. It doesn’t give anything (like, anything!) away, but feel free to share your frame by frame analysis anyway. We know you’ll be up all night watching it on repeat.
The biggest secret in showbiz will be announced tomorrow during Match of the Day, at 6pm BST, on BBC One. Join us for the very latest updates, as and when!
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The BBC has today (Thursday) confirmed when they’ll finally be unveiling the brand new Doctor Who companion!
At long last, the identity of the actor or actress who will soon be stepping aboard the TARDIS alongside Peter Capaldi will be revealed live on BBC One THIS Saturday - 23td April 2016 – during Match of the Day’s half-time coverage of the FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Manchester United (approx 6pm BST). No further details have been finalised, however fans are, inevitably, already feverishly speculating about what the special announcement will entail.
It’s been suggested that it will be delivered in the form of a specially recorded scene, while the new companion may just be in attendance at the match. Whatever happens, Saturday night just got better! Stay tuned as WhovianNet will be bringing you all the developments leading up to the momentous moment, and, as always, you can join us in the festivities by commenting below or tweeting us @WhovianNet. Where’s a TARDIS when you need one?!
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
Peter Capaldi has confirmed that the brand new Doctor Who companion has officially been cast and that he’s “excited” about finally welcoming them aboard the TARDIS.
With speculation regarding his incoming co-star ongoing, the Twelfth Doctor actor – who just last week affirmed that an announcement is imminent – told Brazilian website Omelete that fans will soon be let in on what is one of the best kept secrets in TV. “The new companion will be along any minute,” he said. “I know who they are and we’ve been doing a bit of work together already, so it’s all very exciting.”
He continued: “It’ss a very different take on it this time. Clara had prior knowledge of the Doctor. She was conceived as a human connected to his timeline, and so had access to the cosmic nature of the Doctor. She understood a little about who he was, and the TARDIS and the Daleks. But now we have someone new, who knows very little about the Doctor…”
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
Peter Capaldi has revealed that the wait is almost over for fans to discover the identity of his brand new companion.
Speaking to Radio Times to promote the UK release of Series 9 on DVD and Blu-ray today, the Twelfth Doctor teased that the search for his incoming co-star went “pretty well” and added that the long awaited announcement will hit the airwaves “fairly soon”. “I don’t know whether they’ll be involved in this year’s Christmas Special,” he explained. “The story we’re doing with this particular companion is so specific, but you’ll find out soon enough what we’re doing with it.”
Speculation surrounding the latest companion has been ongoing since Jenna Coleman bid farewell to her role as Clara Oswald last year, with former EastEnders star Rakhee Thakrar recently emerging as the new favourite to step aboard the TARDIS for Series 10 in 2017.
WhovianNet is an unofficial Doctor Who fansite. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with the BBC or any other companies connected with Doctor Who and its spin-offs. The official site can be found at bbc.co.uk/doctorwho.
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RAKHEE THAKRAR 
MIRANDA HART
PEARL MACKIE
GEORGINA CAMPBELL
MADDY HILL
