It looks as though Russell T. Davies has tons of plans and ideas for when he returns as the showrunner of Doctor Who at the end of the current season. Now, the casting of trans actress Yasmin Finney seems to be leaving fans with more questions than answers. But really, that's kind of when the show shines.
Davies announced the new casting for the next season of Doctor Who while cheekily referencing her character's similarity to a particular fan favorite from earlier iterations of The Doctor. It turns out that Finney will play a character named Rose, a name which will sound familiar to many fans who've been watching Doctor Who at least since its resurgence in 2005.
"How can there be another Rose?" Davies teased, knowing full well that dedicated viewers would make the connection. For those out of the loop, Rose shares a name with the character played by Billie Piper during Christopher Eccleston's run as the 9th Doctor as well as much of David Tennant's subsequent 10th version. But does this mean the 2 Roses are the same character? Are they simply connected in some way? Or is Davies tossing fans a red herring?
Finney appears just as excited to be part of this cornerstone franchise as many fans are for her to join up. "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 of her casting. "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." Unfortunately, as sweet as her response was, neither she nor Davies have any further info to offer on the "new" Rose at the moment.
This announcement comes at the heels of several big reveals regarding the future of Doctor Who. First off, Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa has officially been cast as the next Doctor, set to take over when Jodie Whittaker leaves the role at the end of 2022. This will mark the second time a Black actor has taken on the role, with the first being English actress Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor during several episodes of Whittaker's run. But unlike Martin's time as The Doctor, which doesn't technically count as one of the mainline incarnations, Gatwa will be the main character of the series as the 14th Doctor.
The other is, of course, the much-anticipated return of Tennant and Catherine Tate as the 10th Doctor and his beloved companion Donna Noble at some point in 2023. So it appears as though, while Davies wants to recapture the more popular days of Doctor Who, he's also striving to bring the show to new heights. Best of luck to Finney and here's hoping the wait isn't too agonizing.
Doctor Who airs on BBC.
Source: DoctorWho.tv