Carey Mulligan’s Doctor Who Role, Explained

Before she made a name for herself in award-winning movies like The Great Gatsby and Promising Young Woman, Carey Mulligan had a role in Doctor Who.

Just a few short years before she would turn heads in prestige film dramas and big Hollywood movie sequels, Carey Mulligan played a small but pivotal role in Doctor Who. Known for award-winning films like Promising Young Woman and Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby, Mulligan’s body of work has involved a mixture of TV and movie roles. Her dramatic chops were on display from the outset of her career, and she’s earned multiple Academy Award nominations among a slew of other accolades. Though her part in Doctor Who was brief, she brought every bit of her future star power to the one-episode stint.

Mulligan crossed paths with the Doctor only two years before she would earn her first Oscar nod for her work in the 2009 film An Education, and the success of Doctor Who season 3, episode 10, “Blink,” was due in large part to her performance. Doctor Who‘s later Weeping Angel episodes haven’t topped “Blink,” as Mulligan’s performance helped sell just how terrifying the creatures could be in their inaugural appearance. Regarded as one of the best episodes of the new Doctor Who series, “Blink” was light on the Doctor himself, but Mulligan stepped up to carry the story like a seasoned veteran.

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Carey Mulligan Played Sally Sparrow On Doctor Who

The season 3 episode “Blink” introduced the Doctor Who character Sally Sparrow, played by future movie star Carey Mulligan, and her exciting one-off journey was the entire basis of the story. Sally was a young photographer who accidentally discovered the fearsome Weeping Angels when exploring an abandoned mansion. The Angels had the ability to send people to different places in time, and Sally was tasked with putting a series of clues together to eventually reunite the Doctor with the TARDIS before the Angels could sap its energy. “Blink” was filled with hidden details, and it was one of the series’ best uses of the complicated nature of time travel.

Sally herself was spunky and energetic, and Mulligan brought the character to life with more richness than the average one-time Doctor Who guest star. Even without the eccentric Doctor to work off of, Sally’s character was enough to support the episode on her own, and she became a fan favorite. “Blink” was already an expertly crafted tale by Steven Moffat, but Mulligan’s collaboration further elevated it to the critically acclaimed status that it gained. Even though Mulligan had already appeared in 2005’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, Sally Sparrow was certainly one of her breakout roles.

Why Sally Sparrow Only Appeared In One Episode

Despite the obvious charisma of the character, Sally Sparrow never returned to Doctor Who after “Blink.” Though she survived her ordeal with the Weeping Angels, Sally was never seen again on the show, despite writer Steven Moffat’s designs. When speaking with RadioTimes, Moffat revealed that a full-time role on Doctor Who had been offered to Mulligan, but she refused it. Even though being made a companion to the Doctor would have helped further her career, Mulligan turned down the role and immediately found success in other projects. Regardless of its brevity, Mulligan’s appearance left a mark on Doctor Who that has yet to be outdone by any other guest star.

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