‘Doctor Who’ season 10: Code name used for Pearl Mackie before announcement

Up until the very last minute, the producers of “Doctor Who” did a tremendous job keeping the identity of one Pearl Mackie a secret as the next Companion. Sure, the news did get out at the last second, but we feel like only diehard fans had a chance to really hear about that before the announcement was made.

So how did the show manage to keep it under wraps? Ultimately, it all has to do with the smart use of a code name: “Mean Tower.” Andy Pryor, the show’s casting director, told the Radio Times of the nickname, and then went on to explain why it was chosen over anything else:

“It’s an anagram of Ten Woman. Series ten, and also the tenth companion of the modern series … 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.

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

We do like it when producers look at keeping secrets almost like a game, since it may reduce a little bit of the stress. The truth here is that with the rise of technology, it has become more and more difficult to keep people from being complete and total heels, and spoiling all of the fun for everyone. The truth is, sometimes secrets are revealed, and the big thing you have to hope for then is that fans are respectful enough to not try to ruin castings or story secrets for everyone.

“Doctor Who” season 10 will premiere on BBC One / BBC America in 2017, following the upcoming Christmas Special.

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