She hasn’t even made her first appearance on Doctor Who yet, and new companion Bill is already flying the TARDIS. A new image from Season 10 of Doctor Who shows Pearl Mackie’s Bill confidently at the the controls of the titular Time Lord’s time machine.
We know very little about Bill, but showrunner Steven Moffat has said she’ll have the “irreverence and cheek” to ask the questions of the Doctor that no one has before. “How different is it having two hearts?” “Is one a back-up?” “Do you have very, very high blood pressure?” We can’t wait to hear the answers.
Her personality — that unwavering curiosity and obvious lack of fear for the Doctor — reminds us a lot of Amy Pond, Clara Oswald, and River Song. All three spent some time at the controls of the TARDIS, and all three have been the most recent companions (and wife) at the Doctor’s side. There seems to be a trend in the company the Doctor has been keeping lately.
But flying the TARDIS is not a simple thing — Clara’s flight was death-defying, Amy’s wasn’t necessarily easy, and River is sort of a freaking Time Lord herself, so of course she can fly it. Maybe this means Bill is also a Time Lord. Maybe she’s come across Time Lords before. Or maybe she’s just too curious for her own good, and the Doctor will “shoo” her away moments after this image takes place.
Bill will arrive with the tenth series of Doctor Who in April 2017.
