Doctor Who season 14’s new Rose Yasmin Finney addresses the complex legacy of her new companion’s name within the Who-Verse ahead of her debut.
Actor Yasmin Finney breaks down the complex history behind her new Doctor Who companion Rose’s name ahead of her debut, discussing why the character marks a major milestone for the franchise. Finney will star alongside David Tennant, Ncuti Gatwa, and Catherine Tate in three special episodes that will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the long-running sci-fi show. Finney’s character is expected to make her first full appearance in the first episode, “The Star Beast,” which is set to air in the fall of 2023.
As Doctor Who’s 60th-anniversary celebrations draw closer, Finney opened up to Elle (which was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike) about her role in the three-anniversary specials, where she addressed the significance of her character’s name. The star admitted that playing Rose did bring with it an incredible amount of pressure, especially regarding her having the name of a legacy character. She still felt honored to be part of the show, especially by portraying the first major trans character in the show’s history. Check out Finney’s full explanation below:
I mean it’s obviously got a lot of history, hasn’t it? To play a character with such history, even just the name, you’ve got that pressure instantly that I didn’t have with Elle. It was a complete mind-blowing experience when I got cast. I can’t really relive it because I was so in the moment. At first, [the show] had a code name, and then I found out what the show was and I was like, “Oh my God, I’ve just been cast in Doctor Who.” It’s a trans character as well, and it’s such a blessing as well to be able to play such a monumental character like Rose.
How Rose’s Name Could Be An Emotional Connection To A Past Doctor Who Companion
While details about the 60th-anniversary celebrations are still kept under tight wraps, Doctor Who theories suggest why Rose shares her name with a legacy character. Throughout filming and in many of the upcoming episode’s promotional material, Rose has been seen with Tate’s returning companion, Donna Noble, as well as her mother Sylvia (Jaqueline King), husband Shaun (Karl Collins), and grandfather Wilf (Bernard Cribbins). As such, it is speculated that Rose could be Donna and Shaun’s daughter, who will somehow find herself caught up in the Doctor’s return, as well as aliens crashing into London once more.
With Rose potentially being part of the Noble family, she was likely named after Billie Piper’s companion Rose Tyler, who crossed paths with the Noble family across Doctor Who season 4’s final three episodes. Rose helped Donna escape a dark alternate reality and saved Sylvia and Wilf from a Dalek before reuniting with Donna and other former companions to save reality from Davros (Julian Bleach) and the Dalek’s plans to destroy existence. Although Donna’s adventures were wiped from her mind by the Tenth Doctor to save her life, the name of a woman who saved her life and her loved ones likely remained in her subconscious, leading to her unknowingly naming her daughter after her.
With Rose Tyler having played such a significant role in Doctor Who’s revived seasons, many viewers were immediately stunned following the reveal of Finney’s character’s name. While Piper herself won’t return as she did for the 50th-anniversary special, Finney’s character is a perfect way to acknowledge the revived series’ first companion in a way that also potentially adds a new emotional layer to Donna’s story. Furthermore, with Finney set to share scenes with both Gatwa and Tennant, viewers are keen to see how the Doctor will respond to her character when she debuts in the 60th-anniversary specials.
