The BBC has revealed the new actress who will take on the role of the Doctor’s companion in its long-running series Doctor Who, when Matt Smith takes on the titular role from his predecessor David Tennant.
21-year-old Karen Gillan, a native of Inverness, Scotland, has landed the iconic part. The actress has previously appeared in Doctor Who as a Soothsayer in the episode ‘The Fires Of Pompeii’, and has also played roles in the detective drama Rebus, Stacked and The Kevin Bishop Show. She trained as an actress at the Italia Conti Academy in London, where she landed her part in Rebus during her first year. She will also be appearing in Outcast, a forthcoming film starring James Nesbitt.
“I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor’s new companion,” said Gillan on her selection. “The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can’t quite believe I am going to be a part of it. Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him – I just can’t wait to get started.” The show’s executive producer and lead writer, Steven Moffat, was just as enthused about her casting, speaking in a statement issued by the BBC. “We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up. Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too.”
The new series of Doctor Who will be coming to television screens in the spring of 2010. In the meantime, audiences have three further specials featuring David Tennant as the Doctor to look forward to, airing between the beginning of Autumn and the end of the year.
