Actress Yasmin Finney will be joining the cast of BBC’s “Doctor Who” in season 14.
Showrunner Russel T Davies will be returning to the helm after a 12-year absence from the show.
Finney, who was a breakout star from Netflix’s “Heartstoppers,” is set to play a character named Rose, according to Deadline, which is raising some serious questions with fans.
Yasmin Finney Cast As A Character Named… Rose?
Yasmin Finney has been cast as a character named Rose, which is the name of a character played by Billie Piper from 2005 to 2010. Rose was the first Companion when “Doctor Who” started up again in 2005 with Chris Eccleston, the 9th Doctor. She stayed on opposite David Tennant when he came on as the 10th Doctor.
“How can there be another Rose?” Davies teased, but offered no more details to that. It’s possible that Finney could be playing Rose from an alternate universe or she is just a different character with the same name. At this point, there is no more information about the character, leaving fans to speculate.
Finney, who plays Elle Argent in “Heartstoppers, “will be one of the first transgender actors to appear in “Doctor Who.”
“If anyone would have told eight-year-old Yasmin that one day she’d be part of this iconic show, I would have never in a million years believed them,” Finney said. “This show has a place in so many people’s hearts, so to be seen as a trans actress by the legend himself Russell, has not only made my year, it’s made my life.”
Davies said he had “fallen in love” with Finney after seeing her in Heartstoppers, which he described as “one of those shows which changes the world.”
The news comes only a day after David Tennant and companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, are scheduled to return for the show’s 60th anniversary in 2023. The identity of the 14th Doctor was also disclosed earlier this month.
Ncuti Gatwa Joins Yasmin Finney In Season 14
10,000 retweets and we make this version of the theme song canon 🎶 #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/hAPbMNjACo
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) May 10, 2022
Joining Yasmin Finney is the new 14th Doctor, Mizero Ncuti Gatwa. Gatwa will be replacing Jodie Whittaker, who was the first woman to play the titular Time Lord.
Gatwa is a 29-year-old Rwandan-Scottish actor who was born in Rwanda. He appeared as Eric Effiong on Netflix’s “Sex Education,” which earned him a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television and three BAFTA Television Award nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance.
In a press release shared by the BBC, Gatwa said, “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my upmost to do the same.”
“Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is a dream come true. His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent and fizzing with danger. An actor’s metaphorical playground,” he continued. “The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show. And so as much as it’s daunting, I’m aware I’m joining a really supportive family. Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show.”
Russell T. Davies, who will return as showrunner next season, added, “The future is here and it’s Ncuti! Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe and thank my lucky stars. Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds. It’s an honour to work with him, and a hoot, I can’t wait to get started.”
At Sunday’s BAFTA TV Awards, showrunner Russell T. Davies revealed that Gatwa’s audition blew them away, saying, “It was the most blazing audition. It was our last audition. It was our very last one. We thought we had someone and then in he came and stole it.”
