2) A Loveable Companion
We might have just covered the fun dynamic of the TARDIS trio this year, but the Doctor’s current main companion deserves a section all to herself. As played by the very talented Pearl Mackie, Bill Potts is a wonderful character and by far the most down-to-earth and relatable female lead the series has had since Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble back in 2009.
Much has been made in the media about how Bill is both the first POC female companion since Freema Agyeman’s Martha Jones from 2007 and THE first ever lesbian companion the show has ever had. These two facets of Bill’s character are excellent and show that the Doctor Who production team are clearly making an effort to diversify the series (ahead of a female Doctor, perhaps? Hey, we can dream).
Still, what’s most important about Bill is that she’s portrayed as simply a very likeable person. In the early episodes, in particular, Bill was constantly asking questions about the Doctor, the TARDIS and his crazy, timey-wimey life in general. Mostly, these were the kind of trivial, arbitrary questions that we viewers think about as we watch the show, which really helped set her up as an audience identification figure. Likewise, Bill’s status as a sci-fi fan and movie-savvy person is a lot of fun, too. If the show is ripping off a particular movie in one episode, Bill will hang a lampshade on it.
Unfortunately, it seems that Bill’s time in the TARDIS is already over, as she was shockingly turned into a Cyberman in the penultimate episode. We’d love to see her stay on, but if this is it for her, let’s hope the writers remember what worked about Bill when crafting the next companion.
