After flying off with her space puddle girlfriend to see the universe (just roll with it) at the end of season 10, it looked like we’d seen the last of the Doctor’s latest companion, Bill Potts. It was a welcome surprise, then, when the Christmas special trailer announced that Pearl Mackie would be returning one last time for Peter Capaldi’s final hour on Doctor Who.
However, it was still shrouded in mystery exactly what Bill’s role in the episode would be. Was she due to make a quick cameo? Or would she stick around for the whole outing? Unfortunately, we still don’t have an answer, but it would seem that she’ll be fairly involved, as a new motion poster for the special has dropped and it features Mackie’s character along with the two Doctors.
There’s nothing here that’ll stop the presses, but it’s nice to get a look at the trio together and like we said, Bill’s inclusion would seem to signal that she’ll have more than just a small cameo in the special. Or at least, we hope that’s the case.
Titled “Twice Upon A Time,” the upcoming Christmas outing will see Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor team up with his original incarnation, with Harry Potter star David Bradley taking on the role that was originally played by William Hartnell from 1963-66. Doctor Who and Sherlock writer Mark Gatiss will also feature as a mysterious military character currently only known as The Captain, and the official plot synopsis reads as so:
“The magical final chapter of the Twelfth Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) journey sees the Time Lord team up with his former self, the first ever Doctor (David Bradley) and a returning Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), for one last adventure.
Two Doctors stranded in an Arctic snowscape, refusing to face regeneration. Enchanted glass people, stealing their victims from frozen time. And a World War One captain destined to die on the battlefield, but taken from the trenches to play his part in the Doctor’s story.
An uplifting new tale about the power of hope in humanity’s darkest hours, Twice Upon A Time marks the end of an era. But as the Doctor must face his past to decide his future, his journey is only just beginning…
Twice Upon A Time is written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay, and executive produced by Brian Minchin. The 60-minute special guest stars Mark Gatiss as The Captain and Nikki Amuka-Bird as the voice of the glass woman, and will see Peter Capaldi’s Doctor regenerate into the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker).”
Of course, “Twice Upon A Time” is a hugely important outing for the series, as it’ll feature the debut of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, the first time a woman has portrayed the face-changing Time Lord in the show’s 54 year history. Though some remain on the fence, most have welcomed the casting with open arms.
Circling back to Mackie, though, and we know that she isn’t the only companion who’ll return at Christmas. That’s because it’s also been confirmed that Jenna Coleman will appear as Clara Oswald for the first time since her exit in 2015. As the Twelfth Doctor’s longest-running companion, it’s fitting that she’ll be there to see him off, before Capaldi hands the keys to the TARDIS to Whittaker’s thirteenth incarnation.
Be sure to catch Doctor Who “Twice Upon a Time” next month, on December 25th.
