It’s fair to say that Doctor Who New Year’s special Eve of the Daleks had fans talking, especially when it came to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and her friend Yaz (Mandip Gill).
You see, after years of fan speculation, it was officially confirmed in the episode that Yaz had romantic feelings for the Doctor. Moreover, it was revealed that the Doctor was aware of this, and only feigned ignorance to avoid a difficult conversation with her friend and companion.
And now, departing series producer Matt Strevens has addressed the “Thasmin” (Thirteen+Yasmin) reaction for the first time, noting that he was pleased the relationship had fans so invested – but that there might also be difficult times ahead for the duo.
“I’m not a massive social media guy, but I did go onto Twitter on the night of the Eve of the Daleks broadcast to see what the buzz was, and everybody was talking about it,” he told Doctor Who Magazine.
“You can’t go on your phone without something about ‘Thasmin’ popping up. But I didn’t even know what it meant! Until suddenly it clicked and I was like, ‘Wow.’
“I think, since Russell brought the show back, most of the companion stories have been love stories. Very different sorts of love – platonic best-friend love; sometimes a romantic, unrequited love, like with Martha; sometimes more than that, like with Rose and the Doctor. It’s always been there.
“But I was very pleased with the positive response to those scenes between Yaz and Dan, and Dan and the Doctor. I thought they were beautifully played. Mandip was stunning.”
!["Mandip]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/01/doctor-yaz-4a7c914.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"doctor-yaz\"")
However, Strevens also came with something of a warning for fans, hinting that the very nature of Doctor Who meant that there was unlikely to be a happy ending for the Doctor and Yaz.
“It’s the old CS Lewis Shadowlands thing, isn’t it?” he said. “In a way, the Doctor is a bit like Lewis, in that you go, ‘I either don’t engage with love, and the world, and I protect myself, but I’ve never loved. Or by loving, I will inevitably open myself up to being brokenhearted, because, in the end, all love stories end.’
“I think that’s a constant thing the Doctor’s grappling with – how close to get to her friends and companions. Obviously it’s a special bond with Yaz, because they’ve spent so much time together. Who knows how it will end between the two of them?
“But I’ve enjoyed watching the speculation.”
Maybe, against the odds, the Doctor and Yaz can find some sort of happiness, or maybe we’re in for some kind of regeneration heartache. One way or another, we’re predicting there will be tears.
Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford and Russell T Davies reveal a new adventure for the Sixth Doctor!
— Doctor Who Magazine (@DWMtweets) January 31, 2022
DWM 574 includes an exclusive preview of Mind of the Hodiac. Plus an interview with Doctor Who’s outgoing executive producer Matt Strevens and much more.
On sale Thursday 3 February. pic.twitter.com/No7p01LHhS
Read the full interview with Matt Strevens in Doctor Who Magazine – out now.
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils comes to BBC One this spring. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.