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Simon Ridgway/BBC America

Pearl Mackie's Future On 'Doctor Who' Is Uncertain

It's pretty sad that Peter Capaldi is leaving Doctor Who after this season, forcing fans to watch the Doctor regenerate yet again. But will Bill return for Doctor Who Season 11 or is Pearl Mackie going to be ending her journey through space and time? There were rumors earlier this year that Mackie was getting the boot after just one season. But BBC eventually stepped in and told fans not to jump to conclusions. "We never reveal the fate of individual characters on the show," a spokesperson for the network said in a statement back in April. "Viewers will have to tune in to find out. We are still filming Series 10 and no casting decisions have yet been made on Series 11."

That's sort of a non-answer, right? Why does everything about Doctor Who have to be so cryptic? Allegedly, the producers want a huge shake-up after Capaldi steps down, along with longtime showrunner Steven Moffat. With a new Time Lord and a new executive producer, Broadchurch's Chris Chibnall, bringing in a new companion for the new Doctor would mean a completely fresh start for the crew. But fans have come to adore Mackie's performance throughout this past season, so it'd be such a shame to lose her as well. Fresh starts are great and all, but I certainly wouldn't mind if she stuck around. Also, according to Moffat, the slate won'e be wiped entirely clean for Chibnall.

Moffat said in an interview this year with Radio Times that he and Chibnall are in constant communication about what's going on in the series, so the transition will be as smooth as possible. "We just keep each other up to date with what’s going on, and we’ve had various conversations about how the stories will work together," he stated. "But it’s not massively difficult to do all of that. I did all that with [former head writer] Russell [T Davies] as well."

So it's possible Bill will stick around. For diehard fans, there is an interesting fan theory out there on the internet that Mackie will actually be the next Doctor. After all, Bill may be human, but the Doctor has assumed the face of humans before. Capaldi himself took on the role after playing Caecilius in Season 4. And it would be so great to get a female Doctor at long last.

Of course, there is the fact that, during last week's episode, Bill was turned into a cyborg, which might be irreversible. Doctor Who has ditched companions after just one season before, but with Mackie's talent, it would be a total shame. So come on, Chibnall, keep Bill around. Who's going to start the hashtag campaign?