Mackie’s final Tardis trip
Ahead for her final Doctor Who appearance in this year’s Christmas Special, Pearl Mackie tells James Croot what she’s learned during the past 12 months.
Pearl Mackie has a secret to reveal about the past season of Doctor Who – it wasn’t her in the Cyber costume.
Viewers of the long-running sci-fi series were stunned when the 12th Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) companion Bill Potts was turned into a Cyberman in the series finale, before she was rescued by fellow university student-turnedsentient oil Heather and jetted off for a life among the stars.
But speaking ahead of this year’s Christmas Special, where Bill makes an unexpected return, Mackie admitted that she never got to don a Cyberman suit herself. ‘‘Disappointingly, I was too small. I guess at 5 ft 5, I wouldn’t have exactly been imposing. So instead, we had a stuntman, Liam, who was 6ft 4. I also think my Afro and the thing on the Cyberman’s head could have been a logistical nightmare.’’
However, the 30-year-old London-born actress says she and Liam and director Rachel Talalay all worked together so it was almost like she was in there. ‘‘I’d say, ‘this is how I would play the scene’ and I’d show him actions and movements and all of that kind of stuff.’’
Mackie says she only discovered about Bill’s Cyberman fate when she read the firstepisode of two-part finale.
‘‘I think Steven [Moffat, the outgoing Doctor Who showrunner] often does that keeping secrets from everyone. I think it’s great because then you get the script and you’re like, ‘woah, this is crazy’. It was a horrible fate, but then an amazing sort of rescue of Bill. I thought, ‘wow, this is really going to get people – going to tug on the old heartstrings’. I thought it was so clever as well – Bill being the first Cyberman. And, for me as an actress, it was an incredible story and a great thing to be able to play.’’
When asked if it was always the plan that Bill would return for the Christmas Special, Mackie says ‘‘you’d have to ask Steven. But I’m very glad he did. It’s a nice adventure and it’s lovely to be back with Peter and have one last adventure together. I think the dynamic that Bill and 12 had was great and it seems to have been really well received.’’
So how has she dealt with the all the demands and expectations that being on Doctor Who entails?
‘‘I think I’m still kind of adjusting to it. I still have to kind of reality check myself sometimes. ‘Oh, that’s my face in a newspaper – cool’. I’m not blase´ about it yet.
‘‘I always knew there was a massive fanbase for Doctor Who, but I don’t think I realised how big it is and how passionate they are about the show and the characters.’’
Mackie says she has also learned many other things while on the show.
‘‘The whole acting-for-camera thing was very new to me, but hopefully I’ll find that useful in the future,’’ she laughs.
‘‘Then there was episode five [ Oxygen], when the gravity was being sucked out of the spaceship. I was flown on a wire, suspended in mid-air and had to hold onto this pole. That felt super cool. I felt like I was Jason Bourne. I’m not sure how many horizontal suspensions I will encounter in the future, but you know, if I do, I know what I’m doing now.’’
So what will Mackie miss the most about Who? ‘‘We had an amazing crew. We were all in Cardiff for 10 months together and by the end of the first week we’d spent more time together than you do with most people you go to school with. They were really wonderful, kind and funny and really good at their jobs.
‘‘And working with Peter was such a joy. I’m really going to miss working with him.
‘‘I love playing Bill so much. I haven’t really had a chance to miss it yet. I think one of the beauties of Doctor Who is you never really leave it because it’s always there. I will always be Bill and there are always possibilities.’’
For the moment though, Mackie is preparing to head to the stage for the latest production of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, which opens on the West End next month.
‘‘I love Pinter. He’s such an incredible writer who creates a fantastic dynamic between people in what’s said, but also what isn’t said.’’
She says being a part of a cast that also includes Zoe Wanamaker, Toby Jones and Steven Mangan is ‘‘absolutely terrifying and incredibly exciting in equal measure’’.
‘‘Which is good and kind of how I felt going into Doctor Who.’’
But before then, Mackie says she has the unenviable task of corralling all her family together on Christmas Day to watch her final appearance as Bill.
‘‘They are all going to have to be quiet and watch it – which is no mean feat – trust me.’’
‘ I think one of the beauties of Doctor Who is you never really leave it because it’s always there.’ PEARL MACKIE
● This year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special will debut on Prime at 7.30pm on Boxing Day.