JUST 12 months ago Karen Gillan was an unknown actress who played generic roles such as "young girl in a bus station" in low-budget Scottish films.
But now – in a remarkable career transformation – the 21-year-old from Inverness is to be catapulted into the mainstream with one of the most famous roles in British television: the assistant to the Doctor.
Just five years after she left school
at 16 to study drama at Edinburgh's Telford College, the willowy redhead is to follow in the footsteps of Bonnie Langford, Billie Piper and Catherine Tate after impressing the producers of Doctor Who.
"The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it," said Gillan, who will be assistant to the new Time Lord Matt Smith.
She will make her debut as the 11th Doctor's assistant in early 2010, a part that pop star Lily Allen was publicly pursuing only weeks ago. "I have my eye on that project," Allen was quoted as saying, noting that "me and Matt are in the same age bracket".
In other television roles, Gillan has appeared opposite Ken Stott in the Question of Blood episode of Rebus and in several episodes of the cult Kevin Bishop Show.
But she was previously little known outside Scottish acting circles.
She appears in the forthcoming film Outcast, a supernatural drama set in Edinburgh that stars Cold Feet's James Nesbitt, but her character Ally is barely mentioned in the film's plot.
"I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion – I just can't wait to get started," she said. "Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him."
The instant analysis yesterday was that producers had opted for a little-known figure to ensure that the new Doctor was not overshadowed by his side-kick.
Smith, 26, was named for the role early this year, the youngest actor ever to take the lead role in the long-running series.
The Party Animals star steps into the shoes of the frenetic Scottish actor David Tennant, whose popularity as the Doctor saw nearly seven million people tuning in to watch the programme.
Piers Wenger, the head of drama at BBC Wales, said Gillan brought "energy and excitement" to the role.
"When she auditioned alongside Matt, we knew we had something special," he said.
But with Smith, she will shoulder the burden of maintaining the series's popularity even as it goes through a complete overhaul.
The writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, Steven Moffat, who will oversee Gillan and Smith's first episodes, also took over recently from Russell T Davies, a legendary figure for Who fans.
Mr Moffat said: "We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up.
"Funny, clever and gorgeous and sexy – or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it.
"A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her, too," he added.
Gillan cut her teeth in youth theatre and school productions in Inverness.
From Telford, she won a place at the Italia Conti Academy in London, Britain's oldest arts training school.
From there, Gillan landed her first role in Rebus, as well as a part in Channel 4's Stacked. But with her latest role, it is safe to say that her career has been transformed overnight.
