Pearl Mackie

Last updated

Pearl Mackie
Pearl Mackie by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Mackie at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1987-05-29) 29 May 1987 (age 37)
South London, England
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Actress
Years active2010–present
Spouse
Kam Chhokar
(m. 2024)
Relatives Philip Mackie (grandfather)

Pearl Mackie (born 29 May 1987) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Bill Potts in the long-running television series Doctor Who . [2] Mackie is a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. [1] Her first major television role came in 2014, when she played Anne-Marie Frasier in BBC One soap opera Doctors .

Contents

Early life

Pearl Mackie was born on 29 May 1987 in South London. [3] She grew up in Brixton in south London and is of paternal West Indian and maternal English descent. She is the granddaughter of Philip Mackie, who wrote the screenplay for The Naked Civil Servant. She was educated at Burntwood School in Tooting. She earned a degree in Drama from the University of Bristol, [4] [5] and speaks English, French and Spanish. [6] During her studies she went to workshops and took part in many extra-curricular plays.

In 2010 she graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. [7] In the same year Mackie was nominated for the BBC Carleton Hobbs Award for outstanding duologues in the school play Noughts & Crosses. [8]

Career

Mackie appeared in an early mainstream role as a front of house girl in the 2013 music comedy Svengali . [9] In 2014, Mackie played Anne-Marie Frasier in Doctors and the young computer genius Mia in Crystal Springs at the Park Theatre in London. [10] [11] She could also be seen in the political satire Obama-ology at the Finborough theatre in west London, playing Cece and Caits, two young women finding their voice. [12]

In 2015, she performed in the National Theatre's West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time . [13] In the same year Mackie appeared in the short film Date Aid by Bond, a satirical public service announcement. [14] [15] Mackie has also worked as an acting tutor for Troupers, a company that teaches theatre skills to children and young people. [4]

On 23 April 2016, it was announced that Mackie would be playing Bill Potts, the companion of The Doctor in the British television series Doctor Who . [2] [5] It was also announced in March 2017 that Bill would be the first openly gay main companion in the series. [16]

After production on Series 10 of Doctor Who had wrapped, Mackie joined a production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party as Lulu. The production – costarring Stephen Mangan, Toby Jones, and Zoë Wanamaker – opened in January 2018 at London's Harold Pinter Theatre. [17]

In 2020, she guest starred as Lucy 1 in Friday Night Dinner . [18]

Personal life

On 28 June 2020, Mackie came out as bisexual in an Instagram post. [19] She and her partner Kam Chhokar announced their engagement on 19 January 2022, [20] and married on 4 May 2024. [21]

Filmography

Key
Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 Svengali Front of House girl
2015Date AidSarah Short film
2018OrigamiHeatherShort film
2019 Greed Cathy
2020 Horizon Line Pascale
The Lennox ReportTarniaShort film
CopycatsLady Isabelle SausageShort film
2022The DealKabira
2023Your MovePatriciaShort film
TBATygerSarahcompleted

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014 Doctors Anne-Marie FrasierEpisode: "Love Is Blind"
2017 Doctor Who Bill Potts 13 episodes
2018 The Crystal Maze Sleeping BeautyEpisode: "Celebrity Christmas Special"
Gods of MedicineElsa Powers2 episodes
2019 Urban Myths KayEpisode: "Andy & The Donald"
Pops and BranwellPops Popowski (voice)Short animated film
2020 Friday Night Dinner Lucy One2 episodes
2021 The Long Call DS Jen Rafferty4 episodes
2022Lloyd of the FliesGena (voice)17 episodes
Best & BesterGrafifi (voice)13 episodes
2023 Tom Jones Honour Newton4 episodes
2023-present The Diplomat Alysse12 episodes

Radio

YearTitleRoleProductionNotesRef.
2013 Great Expectations Miss Havisham BBC Radio 4
Romeo and Juliet Juliet
2017AdultingCharlotte BBC Radio 2 6 episodes
2018ProposalLucyBBC Radio 2 [22]
2019PrepperRachelBBC Radio 44 episodes
Forest 404 PanBBC Radio 427 episodes [23]
2021 Doctor Faustus Wagner BBC Radio 3 [24]

Theatre

YearTitleRoleTheatreLocationRef.
2010 The Comedy of Errors Adriana Circomedia Bristol [25]
The Crucible Tituba Theatre Royal Bristol [26]
2012Only HumanNina Theatre503 London [27]
HomeWoman 1 / Pattie MaeThe Last RefugeLondon [28]
2014Crystal SpringsMia Park Theatre London [29]
Obama-ologyCece Finborough Theatre London [30]
DisnaturedReganRIFT TheatreLondon [31]
Hello Kind WorldUnknown The Drayton Arms London [32]
2015The Helen Project Helen of Troy The Face to Face FestivalLondon [33]
A Mad World, My Masters Truly Kidman Theatre Royal Brighton [34]
2015–2016 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Punk Girl / Information Lady / No.40 Gielgud Theatre London [35]
2018 The Birthday Party Lulu Harold Pinter Theatre London [36]
2020BubbleAshley Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham [37]

Audio

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2017The Last NamsaraAsha [38]
2019The Conception of TerrorMika Chantry
2020Ladybird Stories for Rainy DaysNarrator
Beatrix Potter: The Complete TalesNarrator [39]
Paper ThinVanessa [40]
Cold Comfort Farm Narrator [41]
2021Sour HallAsh6 episodes
2022Delphine Jones Takes a ChanceNarrator

Music videos

YearTitleArtistDirectorRole
2014"Real" Years & Years Robert Francis MüllerClubber

Commercials

YearBrandCompanyRef.
2020 Westgate Oxford VCCP [39]
Uber 72andSunny [39]
Barclays Publicis [39]
Sainsbury's Global Radio [39]
Diet Coke Wieden+Kennedy [39]

Accolades

Awards

Nominations

Honorable mentions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Piper</span> English actress and former singer-songwriter (born 1982)

Billie Paul Piper is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest female singer to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one. Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album, Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Her second studio album, Walk of Life, was released in 2000 and spawned her third number-one single, "Day & Night". In 2003, Piper announced that she had ended her music career to focus on acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Jameson</span> English actress (born 1951)

Louise Marion Jameson is an English actress with a variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela in Doctor Who (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in The Omega Factor (1979), Blanche Simmons in Tenko (1981–1982), Susan Young in Bergerac (1985–1990), Rosa di Marco in EastEnders (1998–2000) and Mary Goskirk in Emmerdale (2022–present).

Philippa Jane Haywood is an English actress. She won the 2005 Rose d'Or Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for Green Wing (2004–2006). Her other television credits include The Brittas Empire (1991–1997), Chimera (1991) Prisoners' Wives (2012–2013) and Scott & Bailey (2012–2016). In 2018, she played the role of Lorraine Craddock in the BBC television series Bodyguard. In 2019 she appeared in series 4 of the BBC Radio 4 Show The Pin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Okonedo</span> English actress and narrator (born 1968)

Sophie Okonedo is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019, both for services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Glen</span> Scottish actor (born 1961)

Iain Alan Sutherland Glen is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil film series (2004–2016) and as Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). Other notable film and television roles include John Hanning Speke in Mountains of the Moon (1990), Larry Winters in Silent Scream (1990) for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, Manfred Powell in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Brother John in Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), the title role in Jack Taylor (2010–2016), Sir Richard Carlisle in Downton Abbey (2011), James Willett in Eye in the Sky (2015), and Bruce Wayne in Titans (2019–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indira Varma</span> British actress and narrator

Indira Anne Varma is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Johnson (playwright)</span> British playwright

Catherine Johnson is a British playwright, producing works for stage and television. She is best known for her book for the ABBA-inspired musical Mamma Mia! and screenplay for the musical's film adaptation. The film became the highest-grossing British picture of all time in the UK, and the biggest selling UK DVD of all time in January 2009. She also co-wrote the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Walker</span> British actress (born 1970)

Nicola Jane Walker is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks and DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten (2015–2021). She has also worked in theatre, radio and film. She won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and was twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Coleman</span> English actress (born 1986)

Jenna-Louise Coleman is an English actress. She began her television career by playing Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera Emmerdale from 2005 to 2009, followed by a recurring role in the BBC school-based drama series Waterloo Road (2009). She made her film debut with a small role in the American superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and made appearances on diverse British period miniseries, including Titanic (2012), and Death Comes to Pemberley (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charity Wakefield</span> British actress (b. 1980)

Charity Wakefield is an English actress. Her appearances include roles in Sense & Sensibility (2008), Casualty 1900s (2008–2009), Wolf Hall and The Player (2015), Close to the Enemy (2016), The Halcyon, Genius and Bounty Hunters (2017), and as Georgina Dymova in The Great (2020–2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Head</span> British actress

Emily Head is an English actress. Her breakout role was as Carli D'Amato in E4's sitcom The Inbetweeners and she later played Rebecca White in ITV soap opera Emmerdale and Colette Andrews in BBC drama, The Syndicate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuppence Middleton</span> British actress (born 1987)

Tuppence Amelia Middleton is a British actress known for her performances in film, television and theatre. In 2010, she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Anderson</span> English actor and singer (born 1990)

Jacob Basil Anderson is a British actor and musician. As an actor, he is known for his roles as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones (2013–19), Louis de Pointe du Lac in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (2022–present), his recurring roles in Episodes (2012) and Broadchurch (2013), and the thirteenth series of the revival of Doctor Who (2021–22). As a musician, he uses the alias Raleigh Ritchie ; his debut album, You're a Man Now, Boy, was a soul and trip hop album released in 2016 to positive reviews. Anderson's second studio album, Andy, was released in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Thorne</span> English screenwriter and playwright

Jack Thorne FRSL is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Raine</span> British actress

Jessica Raine is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Jenny Lee in the television series Call the Midwife (2012–2014) and Verity Lambert in the television film An Adventure in Space and Time (2013). Raine portrayed Catherine Parr in Becoming Elizabeth, an historical drama series featuring Elizabeth I as a teenager, in June 2022. From October 2022 she played the lead role in the TV thriller series The Devil's Hour. She has also had roles in stage and radio plays.

<i>Doctor Who</i> series 10 2017 series of Doctor Who

The tenth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who premiered on 15 April 2017 and concluded on 1 July 2017 with twelve episodes, after it was formally announced in July 2015. The series is led by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, alongside executive producer Brian Minchin. It is the third and final series overseen by the two as executive producers, as well as Moffat's sixth and final series as head writer. This series is the tenth to air following the programme's revival in 2005 and is the thirty-sixth season overall.

Stefanie Martini is an English actress, known for her leading role in ITV's 2017 production Prime Suspect 1973. She also starred in Doctor Thorne (2016), Emerald City (2017), the 2017 film Crooked House and the TV series The Last Kingdom.

"The Pilot" is the first episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Steven Moffat and broadcast on 15 April 2017 on BBC One. "The Pilot" received mostly positive reviews, with praise on the introduction of Pearl Mackie, and how the episode served both as a soft reboot and as a series premiere.

Bill Potts (<i>Doctor Who</i>) Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Bill Potts is a fictional character created by Steven Moffat and portrayed by Pearl Mackie in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the show's tenth series, starting with the first episode, Bill served as a companion of the Twelfth Doctor, an incarnation of the alien time traveller known as the Doctor.

Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jack Starbright in the Amazon Prime spy thriller Alex Rider (2020–2024) and Yvonne in the Netflix musical film Been So Long (2018). She also guest-starred in two episodes of Doctor Who (2017).

References

  1. 1 2 "Alumni". Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. n.d. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Doctor Who: Pearl Mackie named as new companion". Entertainment & Arts. BBC News. 23 April 2016.
  3. Gee, Catherine (7 April 2017). "Doctor Who's Pearl Mackie: everything you need to know about the new companion" . The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 5 January 2023. Pearl Mackie was born on 29 May 1987, in the south London district, to West Indian and English parents.
  4. 1 2 "Tutors: Pearl Mackie". Troupers.org.uk. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 Hughes, Sarah (9 April 2017). "Doctor Who's Pearl Mackie: 'When I was little there weren't many people like me on TV'". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  6. "9 things about new Doctor Who companion Pearl Mackie". BBC One. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  7. "Pearl Mackie announced as new Doctor Who companion". The Guardian. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Winners: Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award 2010 Winners". Soundstart. BBC. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  9. Warner, Sam (23 April 2016). "Who is Pearl Mackie? Here's everything you need to know about the new Doctor Who companion before the TARDIS". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  10. Proto, Laura (23 April 2016). "Doctor Who: New companion unveiled as former Doctors actress Pearl Mackie". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  11. "Crystal Springs – Park Theatre, London". Thereviewshub.com. 14 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  12. Gardner, Lyn (3 December 2014). "New cast for Curious Incident". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  13. Marshal, Charlotte (12 May 2015). "New cast for Curious Incident". Official London Theatre.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  14. Purvis, Katherine (10 November 2015). "Date Aid: are charities sending the wrong message?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  15. "Who's Pearl Mackie? 7 Things We Know About The Actor Playing The Doctor's New Companion". Space.ca. 23 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019.
  16. Mzimba, Lizo (31 March 2017). "Doctor Who gets first openly gay companion". BBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  17. Jones, Paul (15 September 2017). "Pearl Mackie joins Stephen Mangan, Toby Jones and Zoe Wanamaker in first project since Doctor Who". Radio Times . Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  18. Sandwell, Ian (29 April 2020). "Friday Night Dinner first look clip introduces Doctor Who star in season 6 finale". Digital Spy.
  19. Damshenas, Sam (29 June 2020). "Doctor Who star Pearl Mackie comes out as bisexual". Gay Times . Archived from the original on 30 June 2020.
  20. West, Amy (20 January 2022). "Doctor Who star Pearl Mackie gets engaged to her girlfriend". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  21. Mackie, Pearl [@therealpearlmackie] (5 August 2024). "✨4th May 2024 ✨" . Retrieved 27 September 2024 via Instagram.
  22. "Proposal". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  23. "BBC Radio 4 launches innovative new podcast project - Forest 404". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  24. "Drama On 3". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. Vowles, Jacquie. "The Comedy Of Errors, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School at Circomedia". Whats on Bristol.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018.
  26. "Strong show of extreme controversy". Bristol Post . 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  27. "Only Human". Withoutapaddletheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  28. Knowles, Kieran (2 November 2012). "Only Human". Thegoodreview.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  29. Taylor, Paul (11 August 2014). "Crystal Springs, Park Theatre, review: 'Acutely intelligent'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  30. Fisher, Philip (30 November 2014). "Theatre review: Obama-ology at Finborough Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  31. "Disnatured". Cargocollective.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  32. "Hello Kind World". Skylight Theatre. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  33. Tasker, Amy Clare. "The Helen Project". Amyclaretasker.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  34. Guest, David (12 March 2015). "Review: A Mad World, My Masters (Theatre Royal, Brighton, until Saturday, March 14)". Mid Sussex Times . Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  35. Hoile, Christopher. "Review – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". Stage-door.com. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  36. Foster, Alistair (18 September 2017) [2017-09-15]. "Pearl Mackie to regenerate in the West End for The Birthday Party". Evening Standard . Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  37. "Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company presents Bubble by James Graham Sat 24 Oct 2020". Nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk. n.d.
  38. "Books by Pearl Mackie". HarperCollins. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Pearl Mackie". United Agents. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  40. "#8 Paper Thin by Eliot J Fallows - performed by Pearl Mackie - the Painkiller Podcast". 30 September 2020.
  41. Cold Comfort Farm. Penguin.co.uk. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  42. "VOXAFRICA NOMINATED FOR FAVOURITE BLACK BROADCASTER | 13TH SCREEN NATION AWARDS". Voxafrica (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  43. "Pearl Mackie: Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  44. "Heat Magazine Rewards Cream of TV & Pop Culture With New 'Unmissables' Awards". Bauer Media. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  45. "6th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards – List of Nominees and Winners – Critics Choice Awards" . Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  46. "DIVA Awards 2022 - SHORTLIST 2022". www.divaawards.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  47. "Screen Nation Hall Of Fame". www.screennation.org. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  48. Laford, Andrea (7 July 2020). "Jo Martin and Doctor Who nominated for Screen Nation awards". CultBox. Retrieved 28 April 2023.