Pearl Mackie originally wasn’t in Doctor Who Christmas Special

It was a joy to have Pearl Mackie reprise her role as Pill Potts during the recent Doctor Who Christmas Special. However, what may surprise some out there is learning that originally, she was not meant to be a part of it. The character joined after the original scripts were written, with the big reason for it being that there was something missing in the original creation that Steven Moffat came up with.

What was that? Much of it had to do with needing some sort of foil to bounce off of the two different Doctors — especially the first one, given that he was from a time in which people were often treated very differently. In a new interview on Doctor Who: The Fan Show (see below), Moffat described some of his decision-making in more detail:

“I was 20 pages into the script and I was slightly stuck … And I thought: ‘I just want to hear what Bill’s got to say.’ I had been so used to writing Bill, and she’d been such an invigorating, exciting presence throughout series 10, I just thought I feel it is wasted, the Doctor meeting his older/younger self, and all his political incorrectness. It is wasted, if Bill does not witness this and comment on this. And if she doesn’t instantly work out who that is to the Doctor’s horror, if Bill doesn’t explain certain aspects of her modern life to the First Doctor, it is wasted.”

Bringing Mackie on board was the right move, though we understand the reason for the original omission. The character had a fitting conclusion at the end of season 10 proper with her going out into the universe; as a result of that, it would have been easy for the BBC to bring the story to a halt there and then move forward into some other conversation topics. The good news is that Pearl Mackie appearing here does not necessarily take away from her departure at the end of season 10. This is just another way to celebrate her legacy. She had a great role on the show this past year and while her stint on the series was a little shorter than it’s been for some past companions, she does have a great deal to be proud of here.

What are you going to miss about seeing Pearl Mackie on Doctor Who? Be sure to share in the attached comments!

For a little more speculation when it comes to the future of Doctor Who we suggest that you head over to the link here! For some more news when it comes to the series, be sure like CarterMatt on Facebook. (Photo: BBC.)