About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2
- Publication: The Times
- Date: 2017-04-01
- Author: Nadeem Badshah
- Page:
- Language: English
Doctor Who is to have his first openly gay companion in the new series - a lesbian character called Bill.
Pearl Mackie, 29, will play Bill Potts in the latest series from April 15. The BBC said that the character's sexuality would be known in the "second line of dialogue" during the first episode.
Doctor Who has previously featured gay or bisexual characters, including Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, and Vastra, played by Neve McIntosh. Bill's sexuality will mark the first time that the main companion has been depicted as gay.
Mackie said that her character's sexual orientation "shouldn't be a big deal in the 21st century". "Yeah, Bill's gay. It's about time isn't it?" she told Radio Times. "That representation is important, especially on a mainstream show. 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. I re-member 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.
"[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." The actor, from Brixton in south London, described her character as "cool, strong, sharp, a little bit vulnerable with a bit of geekiness thrown in". Peter Capaldi returns as the 12th Doctor while Matt Lucas is returning to his role as Nardole.
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- APA 6th ed.: Badshah, Nadeem (2017-04-01). About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2. The Times .
- MLA 7th ed.: Badshah, Nadeem. "About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2." The Times [add city] 2017-04-01. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Badshah, Nadeem. "About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2." The Times, edition, sec., 2017-04-01
- Turabian: Badshah, Nadeem. "About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2." The Times, 2017-04-01, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2 | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/About_time,_lord:_Dr_Who_has_gay_No_2 | work=The Times | pages= | date=2017-04-01 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=About time, lord: Dr Who has gay No 2 | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/About_time,_lord:_Dr_Who_has_gay_No_2 | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 March 2025}}</ref>
