Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney confirms her Doctor Who character is trans
Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney. (Netflix)
Yasmin Finney confirmed that her Doctor Who character Rose is trans in an emotional speech at London Trans+ Pride.
Finney, 18, who shot to fame in Netflix’s hit LGBTQ+ teen series Heartstopper, confirmed Rose will be trans as she directly addressed prime minister Boris Johnson.
“Boris, I hope you see Heartstopper, I hope you see Doctor Who, because I exist, and I know you know I exist,” she told the triumphant London Trans+ Pride crowd on Saturday (9 July).
“We all exist, and we’re not going anywhere! Period.”
She added: “We’re all here and we’re just duplicating… Look at how many of us there are. Like, hello? Boris! Bye!”
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Although Finney was confirmed to be joining Doctor Who as Rose in May, little more information has been given about her character.
The BBC confirmed at the time that she had been filming scenes that will air in 2023 to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary, with iconic Doctor Who actors David Tennant and Catherine Tate also making a return.
Rose was famously the name of Billie Piper’s assistant.
Finney said in a statement that she would have “never in a million years” believed that she would one day be part of the long-running sci-fi series.
“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,” she 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.
“I cannot wait to begin this journey and for you all to see how Rose blossoms.”
She added in an interview with The Guardian that she hopes her Doctor Who and Heartstopper fans will get along.
“I am in awe of the fact that I’ve been seen by such a legend [Russell T Davies],” she said.
“I was worried about having two huge fanbases following me and whether they’d get along, but I think it’s going pretty well so far.”
Russell T Davies, who is returning to Doctor Who as showrunner, has been deliberately vague on details of how he is reinventing the series, but it’s believed that the new era will begin with a number of specials to celebrate the anniversary before Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the new Doctor.
