Amy Pond

Amy Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Amy is to be the new companion of series protagonist the Doctor, in his eleventh incarnation, from series 5 onwards.

Biography
Amy Pond meets The Doctor in the first episode of the series beginning in 2010.

Casting
Executive producer Steven Moffat said of the casting for the character, "We saw some amazing actresses for this part. But when Karen came through the door, the game was up - she was funny, clever, gorgeous and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her."

In an interview with Kat Angus of Dose magazine, Doctor Who writer Russel T. Davies commented on the character, "So when the new series starts next year with the new Doctor, you don’t just get Matt Smith coming on, you also get Karen Gillan as his new companion. I think Amy Pond will be hugely welcomed, because ... I think he does need someone. A lot of these stories prove that. There’s been a huge, empty space on the Tardis for a long time now and I think her arrival will be every bit as big as Matt’s. It’s really exciting, and everything I’ve heard about Karen is that she’s brilliant. It’s one of our plans that I’m most pleased with, actually. We’ve held off on companions for a long time, so you’ll get rewarded with a great, big, strong character in Amy Pond, when she arrives. I think that plan’s been good."

In October 2009, scenes with the character were shot in Cardiff alongside the Eleventh Doctor; with the character portrayed in a police costume. These were the first scenes shot including the character. In early December 2009, scenes were filmed including the character, with shooting taking place on location in Croatia. The actors were dressed in period costume from a few centuries ago. "The scripts are brilliant and working alongside Karen and the rest of the crew is an inspiration because their work ethic and passion for the show is so admirable," said the actor for the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, on working on the new series.