Peter Capaldi wanted more diversity, and we were promised a different type of companion. Doctor Who appears to have delivered on both counts with Pearl Mackie.
Based on the clues given by Peter Capaldi, and his desire for Doctor Who to better reflect the diversity of London, and the United Kingdom in general, we had to expect a different type of companion. With the notable exceptions of Martha Jones and Rory Williams, the “main” companions on Doctor Who since it started up again in 2005 had been white females. The archetype had become a bit overdone.
It had also been said that we were going to be getting a different type of companion. Enough of the young women fawning over the Doctor and doing his bidding, usually without question (or sometimes bypassing the questioning and simply going behind his back, like Clara); this new companion would be very critical the Doctor and would have little knowledge of his past deeds. This description sounded a lot more like another Donna Noble, at least in personality, than any of the other companions in the revival of the show.
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Both desires appear to have been fulfilled with the casting of Pearl Mackie as Bill. As someone who does not fit the usual racial profile of a companion, she gives the show more of an element of diversity, just as Capaldi wanted. In addition, based off of the scene to introduce her character, she certainly seems more likely to question the Doctor and not follow his orders blindly.
It is certainly about time that both changes were made. London, and the UK as a whole, are a lot more diverse than they have previously appeared on Doctor Who. Also, it is difficult to imagine that a companion would just passively follow the Doctor’s orders, especially with the idea that the show works to promote strong female leads.
Next: Pearl Mackie is the new companion
Doctor Who needed to make some changes, in terms of diversity and with the mannerisms of the companion. Based on the early reviews, both changes appear to have been made.