Initial Thoughts On Bill

[rushy]

To me, the new clip was a bit of a mixed bag. I didn't like that they made fun of the Daleks again(there's a reason why Genesis Of The Daleks is adored and Destiny Of The Daleks isn't...), but Bill seemed to work well with Capaldi. For a second there, I actually thought she was an adult version of Courtney, which would've been interesting.

As a companion, I think she'll be great, as long as they keep her earthy and not overly sarcastic. The humor really could do with some reining in, if I can be frankly honest.

[Alan]

First off I welcome our new friend, Pearl Mackie, to the Doctor Who Family!

The new scene did a really great and cool job of introducing her, but I look forward to seeing her in action properly next year!

I'm getting an 80's vibe from Bill so it will certainly be interesting if she's from that decade instead of the 2010's.

[knowles2]

I wasn't impress to be honest.

[Alan]

Meet The New Companion
Sunday, 24 April, 2016 - Reported by Marcus

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/04...companion.html

The BBC has released the first interview with the new Doctor Who companion, Pearl Mackie.

Meet The New Companion: Pearl Mackie

The casting was announced on BBC One, during half time of the FA Cup Semi-Final, with 5.3 million viewers watching at the time.

[Alan]

New Companion Reaction - Doctor Who: The Fan Show
Published on 24 Apr 2016

Christel Dee reacts to watching the unveiling of the new companion!

[Flyboy]

Struggling to give a damn.

Excuse me whilst I go and enjoy listening to far more inventive companions... like Constance Clarke, or Dr Liz Klein... or even Hex.

[rushy]

Struggling to give a damn.

Excuse me whilst I go and enjoy listening to far more inventive companions... like Constance Clarke, or Dr Liz Klein... or even Hex.

You've just abandoned TV Doctor Who entirely, haven't you?

[Flyboy]

You've just abandoned TV Doctor Who entirely, haven't you?

Almost entirely. I still watch, obviously. And Capaldi *has* really grown on me. But the quality of the televised stuff at the moment just really isn't a patch on the quality of the audios. Frankly - most of that is due to piss poor companions.

[Alan]

Welcome to the Family
http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/04...to-family.html

[rushy]

Almost entirely. I still watch, obviously. And Capaldi *has* really grown on me. But the quality of the televised stuff at the moment just really isn't a patch on the quality of the audios. Frankly - most of that is due to piss poor companions.

The companions are only defined through the writing. Pearl Mackie is great with Peter Capaldi... off-screen, and not speaking in Moffat's loathsome "snarkalogue".

[Alan]

New Doctor Who companion's Prince t-shirt "was just a very weird coincidence"
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...rd-coincidence

[Alan]

Pearl Mackie's First Day On Set - Doctor Who

[Alan]

Pearl Meets Her First Dalek - Doctor Who

[maneth]

I'm officially intrigued.

[Alan]

Pearl Mackie's Doctor Who codename revealed
Find out how the Doctor Who team kept the identity of the new companion a secret...
By James Gill
Tuesday 26 April 2016 at 2:03PM

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...ename-revealed

Making Doctor Who must sometimes feel like being a spy behind enemy lines. Everyone wants to know what you're planning, but only a select few know the truth – and if you're in the loop, you need a way of keeping your secrets safe.

That's why there's such a long history of codenames in Doctor Who. With clever use of anagrams and a healthy ability to lie through their teeth, Doctor Who stars and companions have (just about!) managed to keep their identities under wraps until the big reveal.

New Doctor Who companion Pearl Mackie was no different. Who casting director Andy Pryor, who has worked on the show since its revival in 2005, reveals that he, showrunner Steven Moffat and the team had a code word for talking about the new companion.

"Her codename was ‘Mean Town’," confirms Pryor. Hmm, wonder what the significance of that is? A reference to Ninth Doctor episode Boom Town? A little-known Prince track?

Not exactly.

"It's an anagram of Ten Woman," explains Pryor. "Series ten, and also the tenth companion of the modern series."

So there you have it, another piece of the Bill puzzle falls into place.

"These anagrams are becoming harder to think of but they’re always fun. It’s really so that nobody reads an email over someone’s shoulder and the name pings out at them," he adds.

"The fact is, if it’s a successful codename, nobody knows about it until afterwards," Pryor says. "It’s as much to amuse ourselves as anything else."

Come back to RadioTimes.com later for a full interview with Doctor Who casting director Andy Pryor, revealing why Pearl Mackie was picked to be the Doctor's new companion Bill.