Clean Break and Brixton House have announced that Pearl Mackie will star in the world premiere of Baby, a new play by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, directed by Milli Bhatia.
The production will run at Brixton House from 8 to 31 October 2026, with a press night on 14 October.
Mackie is best known for her breakthrough role as Bill Potts, the Doctor’s companion opposite Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who. Her recent stage credits include The Human Body at the Donmar Warehouse, Grenfell: In the Words of Survivors and Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre.
Written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, whose previous work includes Behzti, A Kind of People and Marriage Material, Baby shines a light on motherhood within the criminal justice system and explores themes of resilience, survival and hope.
The production follows Bhatti’s previous collaboration with Clean Break, Scenes from Lost Mothers, which was created in partnership with a University of Hertfordshire research project examining maternal separation and imprisonment.
Directed by two-time Olivier Award nominee Milli Bhatia, the creative team includes set and costume designer Khadija Raza, lighting designer Bethany Gupwell, sound designer Elena Peña, casting director Nadine Rennie CDG, assistant director River, assistant stage manager Hester Blindell and design associate and costume supervisor Maariyah Sharjil.
The play introduces audiences to Baby, a woman determined to keep hold of what matters most while facing seemingly impossible circumstances after becoming entangled in the criminal justice system.
Pearl Mackie said: “I have admired Clean Break and the amazing work they do for a long time, so being cast as Baby means a great deal to me. I am incredibly excited to get stuck into this powerful and pertinent story, which comes at such a vital time when the injustice that mothers face in our prison system is finally getting the attention it deserves. Coming home to Brixton to play this fiercely unique character feels right, and makes the experience all the more special.”
Anna Herrmann, Clean Break Artistic Director and Joint CEO, said: “I am thrilled that the phenomenal Pearl Mackie has been cast as Baby, for Clean Break’s return to Brixton House. Brixton House is the perfect partner for this urgent new play by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, building on Scenes from Lost Mothers, a groundbreaking play used as a creative tool in the campaign to end the imprisonment of pregnant women. Now, Baby draws the curtain back further on the life of a mother in prison, exposing the experiences that led to her entanglement with the criminal justice system and the impossible challenges she faces on release”.
Ruth Hawkins, Brixton House Executive Creative Producer, said: “I am thrilled to welcome back the pioneering Clean Break to Brixton House, growing our partnership for a second co-production Baby, a beautifully crafted new play shining a light on motherhood in the judicial system. Our shared commitment to staging new work enables us to expand the reach of where art and social justice collide. We are excited to see how Pearl Mackie brings Gurpreet’s brilliant work to life.”
Baby continues Clean Break’s long-standing commitment to producing theatre that centres women’s voices and explores the realities of criminalisation, while marking the company’s return to Brixton House following a previous successful collaboration.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
