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 36)
Brixton, London, England
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Actress
Years active2010–present
PartnerKam Chhokar (engaged)
Relatives Philip Mackie (grandfather)

Pearl Mackie (born 29 May 1987 [2] ) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Bill Potts in the long-running television series Doctor Who . [3] 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

Mackie 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 . [3] [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]

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 The Diplomat Alysse8 episodes

Radio

YearTitleRoleProductionNotesRef.
2013 Great Expectations Miss Havisham BBC Radio 4
Romeo and Juliet Juliet
2017AdultingCharlotte BBC Radio 2 6 episodes
2018ProposalLucyBBC Radio 2 [21]
2019PrepperRachelBBC Radio 44 episodes
Forest 404 PanBBC Radio 427 episodes [22]
2021 Doctor Faustus Wagner BBC Radio 3 [23]

Theatre

YearTitleRoleTheatreLocationRef.
2010 The Comedy of Errors Adriana Circomedia Bristol [24]
The Crucible Tituba Theatre Royal Bristol [25]
2012Only HumanNina Theatre503 London [26]
HomeWoman 1 / Pattie MaeThe Last RefugeLondon [27]
2014Crystal SpringsMia Park Theatre London [28]
Obama-ologyCece Finborough Theatre London [29]
DisnaturedReganRIFT TheatreLondon [30]
Hello Kind WorldUnknown The Drayton Arms London [31]
2015The Helen Project Helen of Troy The Face to Face FestivalLondon [32]
A Mad World, My Masters Truly Kidman Theatre Royal Brighton [33]
2015–2016 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Punk Girl / Information Lady / No.40 Gielgud Theatre London [34]
2018 The Birthday Party Lulu Harold Pinter Theatre London [35]
2020BubbleAshley Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham [36]

Audio

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2017The Last NamsaraAsha [37]
2019The Conception of TerrorMika Chantry
2020Ladybird Stories for Rainy DaysNarrator
Beatrix Potter: The Complete TalesNarrator [38]
Paper ThinVanessa [39]
Cold Comfort Farm Narrator [40]
2021Sour HallAsh6 episodes
2022Delphine Jones Takes a ChanceNarrator

Music videos

YearTitleArtistDirectorRole
2014"Real" Years & Years Robert Francis MüllerClubber

Commercials

YearBrandCompanyRef.
2020 Westgate Oxford VCCP [38]
Uber 72andSunny [38]
Barclays Publicis [38]
Sainsbury's Global Radio [38]
Diet Coke Wieden+Kennedy [38]

Accolades

Awards

Nominations

Honorable mentions

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References

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