Doctor Who's Yasmin Finney Comments on Inheriting the Rose Name

After her breakout role in Netflix's Heartstopper, Yasmin Finney joins the Doctor Who universe as a character with a notable name. Finney's character is named "Rose," a name she shares with Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), the first companion of Doctor Who's modern era, who traveled with the Ninth (Christopher Eccleston) and Tenth (David Tennant) Doctors. Though Finney's Rose is a new character and not a recasting of Rose Tyler, it is hard to brush off the shared name as mere coincidence, especially with showrunner Russell T Davies, who created Rose Tyler, involved. In a pre-SAG-AFTRA strike interview with Elle, Finney indicates that she and everyone else involved with the production is fully aware of the name's legacy in Doctor Who.

"I mean it's obviously got a lot of history, hasn't it?" she says. "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."

Doctor Who 60th-Anniversary Specials

As for what fans can expect from the three Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials in November, Finney says, "You can look forward to a lot of scary things. I think when you think of Doctor Who, you think of the scariest episode, the weeping angels. It's the scariest episode in history and the most popular. I think in this series, I was scared when I saw some of the things. It's shivers down your spine. But, I can't tell you too much. What I can say is it is going to be full of scares, full of laughs, full of all of it. To act with Ncuti Gatwa is just amazing because we are both very young as well, and it's just really nice to have that. He's making history literally, and I'm just really happy to be a part of his world."

When will Doctor Who return?

Doctor Who will return in November for three 60th-anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor. Catherine Tate also returns as the Doctor's former companion Donna Noble.

Ncuti Gatwa's first full episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will the 2023 Christmas Special. Doctor Who Season 14 will follow sometime in 2024. Fans can get new adventures featuring Billie Piper as Rose Tyler in the next installment of Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon.