Trans actress Yasmin Finney is about to make history on Doctor Who, and now BBC has finally revealed her character’s connection to series royalty.
Doctor Who fans came right out the gate confused when they heard that a new actress would be playing somebody named Rose in the highly-anticipated upcoming continuation of their beloved series. While it’s true that confusion is about as essential to the Doctor Who experience as mediocre soft serve is to any given buffet, the folks behind the show have now deemed the time right to explain what’s up with her character.
It’s true that Doctor Who is chock full of memorable one-off characters, but there was always going to be something special about the “new” Rose. Back when Barbie’s Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the new Doctor, he was also joined by several other delightfully shocking character announcements. During this time, Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney was announced as a mysterious new character named Rose, sharing a name with classic character Rose Tyler who was played by Billie Piper. Fans immediately wondered if she was some reincarnation of the previous Rose or a new figure altogether.
Luckily, the BBC has seen fit to clarify things. On their official Instagram account, the company wished Finney a happy birthday while finally revealing her character’s true identity. “Welcome to the #DoctorWho family, Rose Noble,” they posted, debuting her last name. “Wishing a very happy birthday to [Yasmin Finney], whose character Rose is the daughter of companion Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate) and Shaun Temple (Karl Collins).” That’s certainly one way to keep everything connected.
The post went on to tease what fans can expect from Finney’s adventures as Rose Noble. “When we last saw Donna, the Doctor had to wipe her memory. So the question is, what happens when Rose meets one of her mum’s oldest friends? It is a mystery for now, but what we do know is that just like her mother, Rose stumbles across something alien, and from that point her seemingly ordinary family is never quite the same…” One can never really expect a quiet life in the world of Doctor Who, that’s for sure.
Tate was originally announced to be returning as Donna alongside fan-favorite David Tennant as a new version of The Doctor still somehow sporting his old face. So fans knew right away that the return of Russell T. Davies as Doctor Who showrunner would begin with a bit of a nostalgia lap. Donna already tops many lists of the best Doctor Who companions, so it makes sense that she would return. But that doesn’t mean things are all just rehashes of the classics. In fact, Finney’s character Rose will actually be a trans woman, just like Finney herself.
This could be a big step forward for inclusivity, especially along with the confirmation that Gatwa’s Doctor will be gay. In this tale of a time-and-space-traveling alien, the only real surprise should be that it took this long to feature a major transgender character. Here’s hoping it opens the doors for even more representation going forward. Everybody deserves to see people like themselves in the media they love, and few series garner as much love as Doctor Who.
