Born: 29th May 1987 (as Pearl Olive Mackie)
Episodes Broadcast: 2017

Born in Brixton, London, Pearl Mackie became interested in acting while she was still a child. However, she saw her mixed-race heritage -- her father's family was from the West Indies, while her mother was of Anglo-Saxon descent -- as an impediment. At the age of ten years, she was cast as Nancy in a school production of Oliver!, after which her mother took her to see its West End revival. There the role of Nancy was portrayed by Sonia Swaby, who was of Jamaican and English ancestry; Mackie was amazed to realise that her dreams of becoming a professional actress could come true. She continued to seek stage roles during her teenaged years, while also nurturing skills in singing and dance. Mackie completed an undergraduate degree in drama at the University of Bristol, followed by two years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, from which she graduated in 2010.

For several years, Mackie concentrated on stage roles, while also working as a back-up singer for Freddie and the Hoares. She made her movie debut in 2013's Svengali, while her first television credit was a 2014 episode of Doctors. However, a much bigger role was looming: in 2016, Mackie was cast as companion Bill Potts in Doctor Who. She could initially be seen in a mini-episode called Friend From The Future, which was broadcast at halftime during an FA Cup semi-final match that April. Bill then joined the series itself in The Pilot, the 2017 season premiere. Not only was Bill a departure from the recent string of white companions such as Clara, Amy and Donna, but she would also be the first explicitly lesbian companion; Mackie herself would later make her bisexuality public. Bill accompanied Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor until the season finale, The Doctor Falls. However, Mackie was quickly asked back for Capaldi's swansong, the 2017 Christmas special Twice Upon A Time.

Mackie went on to star in the crime drama The Long Call. She also made movies like Greed, in addition to a number of short films. In 2022, Mackie and her girlfriend, Kam Chhokar, announced that they were engaged to be married.