Doctor Who season 10: Pearl Mackie told to steer clear of old episodes
However, Mackie is not someone bringing much of that to the table, and it turns out that there is a rather specific reason for it: This is not something that executive producers Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin want from her. Speaking in SFX Magazine, Mackie made it clear that they wanted her to be a reflection of her character of Bill, who is coming into the show fresh-faced without any knowledge at all of The Doctor and his surrounding world:
“I talked to Steven and Brian after I’d got the job – I was like, ‘Look, gimme the back catalogue, let me watch it all!’
“I initially planned to watch all of Peter’s stuff with Jenna, so I could see what he was like as a Doctor, and they were like, ‘Don’t watch it, because she doesn’t know anything about that, and actually what you’re bringing to it is a really nice kind of freshness. What you’re doing is working’.”
There is the expression sometimes that knowledge is power, but there is also something cool that comes with being an interesting outsider to the world. If Mackie is excelling bringing a different vibe to the character of Bill, why not stick with that? Maybe she can go back and watch some more episodes in the future, once the character is a little more seasoned and she starts to know a little bit more about the surrounding world. For now, though, it appears that the idea for season 10 is to give the show a different energy, and maybe even have it appear more to someone who isn’t that familiar with the franchise. It is important as the show goes along to be able to attract some new viewers, while at the same time also keep your current ones happy. By pairing someone very established like Peter Capaldi with someone new in Mackie, the show may be able to do both things that they want at the same time. When Twelve regenerates at the end of the year, then we’ll get a completely new energy courtesy of a new Doctor.
If you do want to get some more new about Capaldi and his impending exit from Doctor Who at the end of the season, be sure to head over to the link here. (Photo: BBC.)