It’s official – Doctor Who has added its first gay companion.
It turns out that new companion, Bill (played by Pearl Mackie) is gay… and that makes her The Doctor’s first openly gay companion in the history of Doctor Who. How cool is that?
“It shouldn’t be a big deal in the 21st Century,” Mackie told Lizo Mzimba at the BBC. “It’s about time isn’t it? That representation is important, especially on a mainstream show.”
Apparently, Bill’s sexuality will be dealt with almost instantly when she makes her first appearance in the upcoming Doctor Who Series 10 – revealed in her second line of dialogue.
“It’s important to say people are gay, people are black – there are also aliens in the world as well so watch out for them,” added Mackie. “I remember watching TV as a young mixed race girl not seeing many people who looked like me, so I think being able to visually recognise yourself on screen is important.”
Of course, Doctor Who has included openly gay characters before including Captain Jack Harkness, and even River Song. But this is the first time a Doctor Who companion has been openly gay.
“[Being gay] is not the main thing that defines her character – it’s something that’s part of her and something that she’s very happy and very comfortable with.”
Either way, it’s great to see this kind of representation in a mainstream BBC show.
And we can’t wait to see her kicking ass alongside The Doctor.
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on 15 April 2017.
What do you think of new companion, Bill? Are you looking forward to Doctor Who Series 10? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
