Doctor Who: Pearl Mackie reveals whether she'd return to the Whoniverse

The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) trying to pull Bill (Pearl Mackie) back into the TARDIS in Doctor WHo
(Image credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide/Shutterstock)

Former Doctor Who star Pearl Mackie has revealed whether she'd be keen to reprise her role as Bill Potts, one of the Twelfth Doctor's (Peter Capaldi) companions. 

With the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary miniseries bringing back several former stars—including David Tennant and Catherine Tate—Pearl Mackie was asked whether she would also be up for making a comeback to the Whoniverse in an interview with Digital Spy.  

The Tom Jones star definitely seemed up for returning, if the Doctor Who team wanted her: "The thing about Doctor Who is that no door is ever really closed, you know? Even with that last [Jodie Whittaker] episode, there are so many previous Doctors that live on, and those Companions... I didn't even know that we'd ever seem them again.

"So I feel like with the way this show works, it's always open. It's such a wonderful thing to be a part of, so I wouldn't say no, as it were, but also, it depends. I don't know if they want me to come back."

The last time we saw Bill in the show, she'd set off to travel the universe with Heather, a sentient oil creature who had saved her from her fate as a Cyberman.

In the same interview, Pearl Mackie went on to share just how much she was looking forward to the new era with Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and returning showrunner, Russell T. Davies at the helm.

"I'm really excited, actually. Casting Ncuti [Gatwa] as The Doctor is phenomenal. I don't know how he's going to do it. I don't know if his character as The Doctor is going to be queer, but I feel like it's such a progression. 

"Bill was an out character, but I myself wasn't out at the time. So I think whether or not they go down the queer route with the Doctor character, I think it's just amazing that they cast him. He's a phenomenal actor, so I think he's going to be brilliant.

"But also, with casting trans characters, I just think it's great. It really feels like a new era. I can't wait to see what they do with it. I mean, those pictures of them dressed in those '60s outfits with Ncuti's afro, I was like this is gonna be great", Mackie added.

Doctor Who returns this November to BBC One and BBC iPlayer and Doctor Who's new home of Disney Plus outside the UK.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.