SUMMARY
- Bill Potts was a relatable and ordinary companion who showcased courage and curiosity as the 12th Doctor’s companion in Doctor Who .
- As the first openly queer companion, Bill’s bond with Heather offered a refreshing look on love.
- Despite her brief run on the show, Bill Potts got a fitting conclusion and left a lasting impact on Doctor Who .
Doctor Who is well-recognized for its vast portfolio of companions, all of which provide something different to the franchise. Whether it’s Ruby Sunday’s whimsical sense of excitement or Rory Williams’ kind and generous heart, all of these characters ensure that The Doctor can expand his adventures even further. The likes of Adric and Clara Oswald, who left a major emotional impact on The Doctor. Plus, with a new companion arriving in Season 2 of the latest reboot, fans are eagerly awaiting to see how their favorite sci-fi show will change once again.
Bill Potts joined the show back in 2017 and was commended for being the first openly gay main character on the show. Yet, Potts was more than just a token of representation. This companion faced some of The Doctor’s deadliest foes and expressed a keen sense of courage whenever she was faced with difficulty. Despite winning over a large portion of fans, Bill Potts only appeared in one season, leaving many fans disappointed about her surprise departure from the show.
Bill Potts Didn’t Let Her Current Situation Hold Her Back From Discovering More
Top 5 Bill Potts Episodes
- Season 10, Episode 10, “The Eaters of Light”
- Season 10, Episode 12, “The Doctor Falls”
- Season 10, Episode 8, “The Lie of the Land”
- Season 10, Episode 6, “Extremis”
- Season 10, Episode 4, “Knock Knock”
Like many of The Doctor’s previous companions, Bill Potts felt very normal. She wasn’t entirely privileged and had a seemingly average home life, living with her foster mother, Moira. Yet, it could be argued that her mundane nature is what makes her special, as audiences are able to relate to her straight away. When the audience is first introduced to her in Season 10, Episode 1, “The Pilot,” she’s working in the canteen of St Luke’s University in Bristol. Though this is not a bad position by any means, many viewers get the impression that Bill is stuck and is struggling to find a secure sense of direction and purpose in her life. But, when she sneaks into the Twelfth Doctor’s lectures to learn more about the nuances of physics, the viewer quickly learns that Bill Potts is destined for great things. Thus, this gives the audience a sense of drive and ambition, as many viewers also struggle with feeling stuck and would love nothing more than to leave their earthly worries behind and soar across the universe. Plus, Potts’s job at the university places her in a state of limbo. She isn’t a student, and she isn’t part of the school’s larger academic team. As such, she has very few commitments, which means that she’s entirely ready to throw away her job and start living alongside The Doctor.
Bill is also a deeply curious and inquisitive woman, making her an ideal companion for someone like the Twelfth Doctor. For example, in Season 10, Episode 3, “Thin Ice,” Potts quickly discovers that a small child is trapped under the ice, while The Doctor is more concerned about his sonic screwdriver. Moments like these indicate that Potts uses her compassionate heart to drive her, ensuring that she can remain grounded while The Doctor has his head in the clouds. As such, even as a completely ordinary person, Bill Potts was able to uncover some of history’s greatest mysteries and save multiple communities from devastation. So, even though she may not have the same skill set or experience as her Time Lord counterpart, she’s always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that she can solve every mystery.
As an Openly Queer Companion, She Offered a Refreshing Look at Love
Most Notable Queer Companions in Doctor Who
- Adric
- Captain Jack Harkness
- Madame Vastra
- Jenny Flint
- Yasmin Khan
Although Bill Potts is by no means the first openly Queer companion, she does a fantastic job of showcasing what it’s like to have a crush. Many companions have had crushes in the past, but the majority of them have developed feelings for The Doctor. But Potts’ intimate bond with her partner Heather highlights that she has a rich life outside of her travels with the Time Lord. In Season 10, Episode 1, “The Pilot,” Bill spends copious amounts of time yearning over her crush, Heather, again, making her very relatable to mass audiences. The fact that Bill spotted Heather roaming around the university campus and instantly found her attractive is a very common part of growing up and showcases that she’s a perfectly normal woman who is keen to pursue a healthy relationship. This may not sound groundbreaking, but in the world of Doctor Who, it most definitely is. In the past, companions like Rose Tyler and Clara Oswald struggled to hold down a secure relationship because they could not let go of The Doctor, so they ended up keeping vital secrets from their partners. However, Bill subtly contrasts this trend by focusing her entire heart on one woman, making it a very sweet bond.
Bill’s deep devotion to Heather also means that she isn’t ashamed of her Queerness and is proud to embody her most authentic self. This is particularly evident in the 2017 Christmas Special, Twice Upon a Time. Here, Bill strikes up a conversation with the First Doctor and a WWI Captain in which she tells the men that she’s had previous intimate experiences with women, which, of course, shocks them. Although fans sometimes criticize this episode for the fact that it portrays the First Doctor as homophobic, it could be argued that this scene is used to explore how much times have changed since Doctor Who first aired in the 1960s. As a time-traveling alien who has explored everything that the universe has to offer, it seems silly that older incarnations of The Doctor wouldn’t be more aware of such a simple concept in the grand scheme of time and space. Instead, this scene highlights that characters like Bill are allowed to flourish within the franchise, and although some fans may not agree, it doesn’t matter because Bill is proud of who she is and who she loves.
Bill Potts Finally Got Her Happily Ever After
Top 5 Most Popular Doctor Who: Lockdown! Webcasts
- Rory’s Story
- The Best of Days
- The Secret of Novice Haim
- Farewell, Sarah Jane
- The Shadow in the Mirror
Unlike many of her predecessors, Bill Potts received a somewhat happy ending during her time on Doctor Who. In Season 10, Episode 12, “The Doctor Falls,” Potts is tragically converted into a Cyberman. Yet, not all hope is lost as Heather turns Bill into an oil-like entity, ensuring that she can be restored. Thus, Heather and Bill spend the rest of their lives exploring the universe hand in hand. In turn, Bill gains everything she’s ever wanted: a better sense of purpose and Heather by her side. Although she makes a minor cameo in the following Christmas Special, many fans agree that Bill Potts’ legacy had a very fitting conclusion. Over the years, Bill Potts has appeared in an abundance of spin-off material, including audio dramas, comics, and even a short webcast that was released during the pandemic as part of Doctor Who: Lockdown! So, although it seems very unlikely that Potts will reprise her role on screen, she is still a very integral part of the Doctor Who canon.
In reality, actress Pearl Mackie was released from her contract so that Chris Chinball could start his era with a clean slate. Admittedly, some viewers found this process quite unfair, but it seems that Chinball was eager to take a different approach with Season 11 and didn’t want the Thirteenth Doctor to be tied down to her previous incarnation. Since leaving Doctor Who, Mackie has appeared in a wealth of popular content, such as the Netflix Original Series, The Diplomat. Therefore, even though Bill Potts only lasted on the show for one season, her impact is undeniable. Not only did she pave the way for more Queer characters, but she showcased how, even as a totally normal woman, she managed to alter the course of time and space in a truly remarkable fashion.
