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.
"I think one of the beauties of Doctor Who is you never really leave it because it's always there." Pearl Mackie
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 studentturned-sentient 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 Londonborn 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 first-episode 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
Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Monday, 7pm, TVNZ1
Based on Barry Crump’s book Wild Pork and Watercress, Taika Waititi’s 2016 boxoffice smash focuses on a national manhunt for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison star. ‘‘Warmly funny and deeply delightful, Hunt For The Wilderpeople isa tale of two misfits told with such generosity of spirit and consistent good humour that it’s a pleasant surprise to discover how sneakily touching it is as well,’’ wrote Screen International‘s Tim Grierson.
Quizmas, Tuesday, 8.30pm, Duke
The Tears. The Triumphs. The Tweets. It’s 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 the year in review like you’ve never seen it before. Join quizmaster Jeremy Wells as he puts teams through the 2017 ringer – covering everything from entertainment 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.
and politics to sports, and media. Madeleine Sami, Melanie Bracewell, Leigh Hart, Jason Hoyte and Matt Heath are among those competing.
Call the Midwife Xmas Special, Wednesday, 8.30pm, TVNZ1
As Poplar faces its coldest winter in 300 years, the midwives strive to provide the best possible care amidst the everchanging world of 1960s UK. All around them they see the old East End vanishing as slum clearances make way for bold new tower blocks to accommodate expanding communities, and the first West Indian midwife joins the team.
Taskmaster, Thursday, 8.30pm, Duke
Bob Mortimer joins the winners of series
‘‘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.’’
This year’s will debut on Prime at 7.30pm on Boxing Day.
❚ Special
Doctor Who Christmas one to four – Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Noel Fielding and Rob Beckett – in the ultimate fight for glory when he competes in this two-night Champion of Champions competition of this hilarious British panel show. Part II screens on Friday at the same time.
Jasper Jones, Saturday, 8.30pm, Rialto
Its source may have been described as Australia’s To Kill a Mockingbird, but this 2017 adaptation of Craig Silvey’s 2009 novel feels more like a cross between The Dressmaker, Stand By Me and our own The Scarecrow. Screenwriter Shaun Grant keeps many of the novel’s many weighty themes, but delivers them with such verve and taut storytelling that watching it all unfold is a joy.– James Croot