New Doctor Who companion coming in 2017, is West End stage actress

The long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who will be receiving a new ‘companion’ actor. West End stage actress Pearl Mackie will join the series for its run in 2017.

Not much has been said about the Doctor’s new companion, other than that her name will be Bill.

In 2014, Mackie played Anne-Marie Frasier on the TV series Doctors. She is currently performing in the National Theater’s West End stage production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Mackie replaces Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) who joined the shown in 2012 and officially left in 2015. Coleman’s character played travelling companion to both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi’s portrayals as the time travelling Doctor.

Doctor Who originally aired in 1963, but went on hiatus in 1989. In 1995, the BBC, in conjunction with universal Studios and 20th Century Fox, created the Doctor Who movie as a means to breathe new life into the series, but it failed to attract the required attention.

The series’ 2005 revival has been a critical success and not only featured Smith and Capaldi as the titular character, but Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and John Hurt as well.

View the full official reveal below.