Up until now, not too much has been given away about the character that Yasmin Finney will play in Doctor Who‘s 60th-anniversary special – other than the fact that she’s a new iteration of beloved companion Rose.
But speaking at a London Trans+ Pride event at the weekend (Saturday 9th July), the Heartstopper star has now confirmed that her character will be trans.
Speaking to a large crowd – and taking aim at recently resigned Prime Minister Boris Johnson – Finney said, “How many of you have seen Doctor Who?
“Yeah, because that is also a moment and that is also a show where my character is trans so, Boris, I hope you see Heartstopper, I hope you see Doctor Who, because I exist, and I know you know I exist. We all exist, and we’re not going anywhere! Period.”
“I love this so much. This is my first London Trans Pride: I feel so connected to my community more than ever. If the government is trying to eradicate us, we’re all here and we’re just duplicating.” – #heartstopper‘s incredible Yasmin Finney (@yazdemand) at #LondonTransPride ???? pic.twitter.com/c5vVTikKu7
— PinkNews (@PinkNews) July 9, 2022
As for exactly how this new Rose will fit into events remains a mystery at this stage, with returning showrunner Russell T Davies himself having teased fans about the character.
“Life on Doctor Who gets brighter and wilder, how can there be another Rose?” he wrote when Finney’s casting was first announced. “You’ll find out in 2023, but it’s an absolute joy to welcome Yasmin to the Doctor Who set.”
Understandably, there’s been plenty of speculation amongst the Who fanbase, with some suggesting Finney could be playing a parallel universe variant of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and others proposing that she might be Donna Noble’s teenage daughter.
Either way, she promises to be a very exciting addition to the 60th-anniversary cast – which also includes Doctor Who stalwarts such as David Tennant and Catherine Tate, incoming TARDIS occupier Ncuti Gatwa and guest star Neil Patrick Harris.
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