Ashildr (also known as Me) is a fictional character in the British
science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'', portrayed by actress
Maisie Williams
Margaret Constance "Maisie" Williams (born 15 April 1997) is an English actress. Williams made her acting debut in 2011 as Arya Stark, a lead character in the HBO epic medieval fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019). She ...
. The character was introduced in the
ninth series episode "
The Girl Who Died
"The Girl Who Died" is the fifth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 October 2015, and was written by Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat and directed ...
", before making a few more appearances during the series.
Appearances
Ashildr, daughter of Ionhar (Ian Conningham), is introduced in "
The Girl Who Died
"The Girl Who Died" is the fifth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 October 2015, and was written by Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat and directed ...
" (2015), where she is portrayed as a
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
puppet maker and storyteller. When the militaristic
alien race
Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...
the Mire raid her village, Ashildr declares war between the village and ten of the Mire. As part of a battle plan devised by the alien
time traveller the
Twelfth Doctor
The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi in three series as well as four specials. As with previous incar ...
(
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in ' ...
), Ashildr uses the technology inside one of the Mire's helmets to create an illusion to scare the Mire into a retreat. In doing so, she dies of heart failure, having been "used... up like a battery" by being connected to the Mire's machine. The Doctor's companion,
Clara Oswald
Clara Oswald is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. She was created by series producer Steven Moffat and portrayed by Jenna Coleman. Clara was introduced in the seventh series as a new travelli ...
(
Jenna Coleman
Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986), known professionally as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Clara Oswald in the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', Qu ...
), a time-travelling school teacher from 21st century England, persuades the Doctor to save her. He implants Ashildr with Mire medical technology, bringing her back to life and making her functionally immortal, but he worries that there will be consequences. He also gives her another piece of the same technology that brought her back to life before leaving.
In the following episode "
The Woman Who Lived
"The Woman Who Lived" is the sixth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 October 2015. It was written by Catherine Tregenna and directed by Ed Bazalg ...
", the Doctor catches up with Ashildr in 1651 England after 800 years have passed for her. She has become a
highwayman
A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footp ...
, adopting the new name of "Me". While her body has become immortal, the human brain is physically insufficient to contain 800 years' worth of memories, which has totally altered her personality: she has lived many lives under different personas, loved and lost many people, most of whom she cannot even remember clearly anymore. The only constant that remained was herself, leading to her developing the new name "Me" to refer to herself - along with a cynical and self-absorbed attitude that she is the only thing that matters, because everyone else she encounters is transient.
Having lived through many wars and suffered many losses, she plans to travel the galaxy with an alien Leonian called Leandro (
Ariyon Bakare
Ariyon Bakare () is an English actor. He has appeared in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' (2001–2005) as Ben Kwarme, the Amazon Prime series ''Good Omens'' and ''Carnival Row'' (2019), and the BBC series ''His Dark Materials''. Prior to this, ...
) after the Doctor helps her retrieve an
amulet
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
called the Eyes of Hades, not knowing this will create a portal using the death of rival highwayman Sam Swift the Quick (
Rufus Hound
Rufus Hound (born Robert James Blair Simpson 6 March 1979) is an English actor, comedian and presenter.
Early life
Hound was born on 6 March 1979, in Essex and moved to Surrey at the age of seven. He was educated at Hoe Bridge School Woking ...
). However, Leandro betrays Ashildr and, instead, summons a fleet of ships to attack
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. Ashildr uses her spare piece of Mire medical technology to restore Sam's life and close the portal to Leandro's world. She promises the Doctor that she will watch over his
companions on Earth, keeping them safe after they stop traveling with him. Shortly afterward, he spots her in the background of a photo on Clara's mobile phone taken in the 21st century.
When the Doctor next encounters Ashildr in "
Face the Raven
"Face the Raven" is the tenth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 November 2015, and was written by Sarah Dollard and directed by Justin Molotnikov.
...
", she runs an alien refugee camp hidden in the heart of 21st century
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, having lured the Doctor in using Rigsy (
Joivan Wade
Joivan Wade ( ; born 23 July 1993) is an English actor known for playing Manyou in the BBC comedy television series '' Big School'', Jordan Johnson on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and Cyborg (comics), Victor Stone/Cyborg in the HBO Max se ...
), an old acquaintance of his, as bait. In a reckless attempt at subverting Ashildr's plan, Clara takes on the death sentence given to Rigsy to buy more time, without realising that Ashildr cannot remove it once it is transferred to a new recipient, resulting in Clara's death. A now-remorseful Ashildr takes the Doctor's
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ap ...
key, and teleports him to her collaborators, which was the plan all along, who are revealed in "
Hell Bent
Hellbent may refer to:
* Hellbent (novel), by Anthony McGowan
Film and television
* ''Hell Bent'' (film), a 1918 silent Western film
* ''Hellbent'' (film), a 2004 slasher film
* "Hell Bent" (''Doctor Who''), a 2015 episode of the ninth seri ...
" to be the Doctor's own race: the
Time Lords
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...
.
Before "Hell Bent", in "
Heaven Sent", the Doctor mentions that Ashildr/"Me" is going to destroy Gallifrey, because she is the "hybrid", echoing a prophecy related by
Davros
Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...
in "
The Magician's Apprentice
''The Magician's Apprentice'' is a fantasy novel by author Trudi Canavan. It was published in February 2009, and is a stand-alone prequel telling a story occurring hundreds of years before her bestselling ''The Black Magician (novel series), Bla ...
" / "
The Witch's Familiar
"The Witch's Familiar" is the second episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 26 September 2015. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie MacD ...
".
In the ninth series finale "Hell Bent", set roughly 14 billion years after Ashildr became immortal, the Doctor attempts to help Clara cheat death and runs away with her to the planet
Gallifrey
Gallifrey () is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It is the original home world of the Time Lords, the civilisation to which the protagonist, The Doct ...
at the end of time itself, where Ashildr remains the last being in existence (a lifespan longer than the
Face of Boe
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, ''Torchwood''. The character first appears in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode "The Empty Child" and subsequently features in the ...
's). She counsels the Doctor to stop his current course of action, for the sake of the universe, and so the Doctor and Clara submit themselves to have one of them wiped of their memories. The Doctor loses his memories of Clara, who returns him to Earth and reunites him with his TARDIS but departs with Ashildr for adventures of their own in a newly acquired TARDIS of their ownfurther extending Ashildr's lifespan. Clara promises Ashildr she will return to Gallifrey to face her death as history records, but not before seeing the universe in more depth first.
Casting and development
Head writer and
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
said about having Williams on ''Doctor Who'', "We're thrilled to have Maisie Williams joining us on Doctor Who. It's not possible to say too much about who or what she's playing, but she is going to challenge the Doctor in very unexpected ways. This time he might just be out of his depth, and we know Maisie is going to give him exactly the right sort of hell."
Maisie Williams said about her role in ''Doctor Who'', "I'm so excited to be working on Doctor Who as it's such a big and important part of British culture. I can't wait to meet the cast and crew and start filming, especially as we'll be shooting not too far from my home town."
[
When speaking about being in ''Doctor Who'', Williams said about Peter Capaldi, "People say 'don't meet your idols as they never turn out to be who you want them to be'. That was completely not the case with Peter and he's been wonderful and really helpful on set."
In 2016, Williams confirmed that she will not return to ''Doctor Who''. The following year, she clarified that there was no reason she could not return in the future; she simply was not actively seeking to return for another appearance, and the show's producers had asked her to return.
]
Reception
In a discussion about the episode "The Girl Who Died," Mike Reyes of ''Cinema Blend'' said about Ashildr that "Sure enough, Ashildr's death and rebirth after fighting the Mire went from a happy ending to an ending that gave me pause. The Doctor has now officially created a functional immortal out of a normal human, and given how he's held up with such a life span, it looks like things are about to get scary." Sam Warner of ''Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'' reported, when talking about the character's debut appearance, that "Opinion was mostly positive, though Ashildr hasn't convinced everyone just yet."
Williams described her role in ''Doctor Who'' as "every fan-boy's dream." Liz Raftery of ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' described Williams's role as "highly anticipated," and Williams then went on to explain, "When you cross over to a different geeky fandom world, everyone's like, 'This is insane!'"
In a review for the episode "The Girl Who Died," Rob Smedley of the website ''CultBox'' referred to Williams's portrayal of Ashildr as "envied natural talent that ... lifts Ashildr above being convenience or novelty." In reviewing the episode "The Woman Who Lived," Smedley stated that Williams, in her portrayal of Ashildr, had done "a terrific job of making the character feel like she’s lived lifetimes since we last saw her. Several hundred years of loss in just one week. It’s an even better, and inevitably more mature, performance than last Saturday."
Notes
References
External links
Ashildr
at the BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
''Doctor Who'' website
{{TardisDataCore, Ashildr
Recurring characters in Doctor Who
Female characters in television
Fictional Vikings
Fictional mayors
Television characters introduced in 2015
Fictional medieval European people
Fictional characters with slowed ageing
Fictional characters with accelerated healing
Fictional characters with immortality
Fictional extraterrestrial–human hybrids
Fictional women soldiers and warriors