Yasmin Finney played Rose Noble in the 60th anniversary specials.
The BBC has responded to complaints received over the inclusion of a transgender character in Doctor Who’s recent 60th anniversary specials.
Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney joined the long-running sci-fi franchise in the role of Rose Noble, daughter of former companion Donna (Catherine Tate) and her husband Shaun (Karl Collins).
She debuted in the first of the three specials – titled The Star Beast – where she played a major role in revising the canon in order for Donna to regain her memories of travelling with the Doctor (without any fatal side effects).
The episode was also notable for tackling difficult topics, including a scene in which well-meaning grandmother Sylvia (Jacqueline King) expresses some confusion over pronouns and another in which Rose is deadnamed by bullies.
Rose reappeared in the last of the three specials, The Giggle, last seen having lunch with her family, where she let slip that she’d been on her own TARDIS expeditions with the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant).
In December, the BBC revealed it had received 144 complaints regarding transgender representation in Doctor Who, with Deadline reporting that some had described it as “anti-male” and “inappropriate”.
Notably, this made up a fractional minority of overall viewership for the specials – with The Star Beast topping 7.6 million in its first week of availability – but the BBC has issued the following response.
The broadcaster said: “As regular viewers of Doctor Who will be aware, the show has and will always continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in. We are always mindful of the content within our episodes.”
As seen in the recent trailer, it has been confirmed that Rose Noble will return in Doctor Who season 14, which is scheduled to premiere in May.
Fans got their first look at the upcoming episodes at the end of Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road, which was the first full-length adventure for the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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