Top 10 Karen Gillan Moments

Karen caught global attention as Amy Pond, Matt Smith’s companion in “Doctor Who”, with her character at the centre of countless key scenes. Her walk through the Forest of Angels, facing Madame Kovarian, or her cameo for Smith’s swansong' they all might’ve made today’s countdown. But we’ve gone for “The Girl Who Waited”, an episode which sees the actress double up, to play two versions of herself. This final fight scene sees battle-hardened Amy defend younger Pond and Rory, before an emotional farewell.

Stepping out as Eliza Dooley in the 2014 US sitcom “Selfie”, Gillan plays a narcissistic, InstaFamous sales rep in search of real-life relationships. While the series struggled with poor ratings and was cut from American schedules, Karen’s performance was praised. As Eliza, she taps into a range of anxieties and insecurities, and this scene proves a pivotal point in her story. As she’s balancing a will-they-won’t-they romance with John Cho’s Henry, Sia’s “Chandelier” strikes exactly the right note.

Karen’s turn as Kerry Newblood brought a fresh dynamic to Sky 1’s “A Touch of Cloth”, in 2014. Drafted onto the spoof cop team for season three, as they try to solve the murder of Cloth’s brother, she’s thrown straight into the satirical action with her first crime scene. Kerry cuts an inexperienced investigator for the most part, but does she know more than she’s letting on? Either way, she delivers some of the show’s best lines.

Starring as Kaylie Russell in Mike Flanagan’s 2013 horror flick, “Oculus”, our next entry sees Karen caught up in a creepy state of affairs, as her character tries to make sense of a frightful childhood. Returning to the site of her parents’ deaths, Kaylie is convinced that an antique mirror is to blame, believing that it triggers hallucinations. In this scene, she reacquaints herself with the mirror, and is immediately reminded of the power it possesses. Set in a haunted house and jam-packed with jump-scares, it’s horror 101 and Gillan’s a natural.

Before “Who”, Karen was probably best known as a regular comic on “The Kevin Bishop Show”. A Channel 4 sketch show which ran for two series, we could’ve included a number of skits today – from spoof news reports to a spot-on Katy Perry parody. But we settled for a feature dubbed “Unnecessary Sequels”, and a look at what happened next in “Pretty Woman”. Gillan plays Vivian, who takes an unexpected career U-turn much to Edward’s confusion. Where’s the feature-length when you need it?

Having already earned star status with one famous fandom, Gillan swapped “Doctor Who” for the MCU in 2014, to go toe-to-toe with the Guardians of the Galaxy. An all-out villain in the first film, Nebula was raised by Thanos and she has more than a few grudges to bare – not least with Gamora. Physically, the role was worlds away from anything Gillan had done before. The blue makeup took up to four hours to apply, while her hair prompted a more permanent change.

A talent behind the camera as well as in front of it, 2015 saw Karen write and direct two short films, “Coward” and “Conventional”. Both were praised, with “Conventional” making the biggest impact, perhaps because Gillan also takes the lead role. Set at a horror convention, it follows an actress who’s desperate to remain relevant, despite a dodgy lip job, and will do anything to protect her fame. Funny at times and grim at others, it’s gloomy but glorious, as well.

The Amy and Rory sub-story kept us guessing throughout Gillan’s time on “Doctor Who”, but “The Big Bang” was a definite high point. The chaotic conclusion to Amy’s first series, it centres on the Pandorica and a universal reboot which almost erases The Doctor from memory. Almost, but not quite. Inexplicable tears led Amy to remember her Raggedy Man, and her imaginary friend reveals himself to all. Considering the epic journey it took to get to this point, who can blame Matt Smith for letting his hair down?

A fan favourite from the first film, Nebula gets an even greater role in “Guardians 2”, as her back story is better explored. A prisoner at first, she eventually breaks free before tracking down her adopted sister for the fight of all fights. It’s sibling rivalry on a ridiculous level, with an intergalactic arsenal of souped-up weapons. The tension eventually breaks, and the two form a truce of sorts, but not before beating all kinds of hell out of each other.

It’s back to the blue box for today’s winner, and to one of the most memorable scenes in “Doctor Who”. Amy meets her fate in “The Angels Take Manhattan”, an episode which sees her, Rory and the Doctor face the famous statues in 1930s New York. They almost destroy them all, but one survives to send Rory back in time, leaving Amy with a crushing decision to make. Much to Matt Smith’s agony, she follows Rory and her time as the Doctor’s companion ends. Afterwords aren’t always needed, but this one really was.