Doctor Who fans have declared that Yasmin Finney ‘stole the show’ during the first 60th Anniversary special, after she made her debut as Donna Noble’s transgender daughter Rose.
The Heartstopper actress was lauded by viewers for her appearance in the hour-long episode, forced to flee with her family after discovering a fluffy alien called Beep The Meep.
Yasmin’s role as trans teen Rose was already considered groundbreaking for the show, with her name a sweet nod to The Doctor’s beloved companion Rose Tyler.
With a secret love for crafts, she showcased her talents by making stuffed toys to sell online, despite Donna’s disapproval, a source of comfort after facing bullying by other teenagers for her transition.
In the special, Rose discovers the mysterious alien that has escaped from a crashed spaceship, an adorable fluffy creature called Meep, and attempts to hide it in the shed.
Loved! Doctor Who fans have declared that Yasmin Finney ‘stole the show’ during the first 60th Anniversary special, after she made her debut as Donna Noble’s transgender daughter Rose
Fan favourite: The Heartstopper actress (L) was lauded by viewers for her appearance in the hour-long episode, forced to flee with her family after discovering a fluffy alien called Beep The Meep (pictured with co-star Catherine Tate, R)
But Donna (Catherine Tate), who at this point is still without her memories of The Doctor (David Tennant), finds the animal, and unsurprisingly is left reeling.
Things take a chaotic turn when the Doctor turns up at Donna’s house, with furious alien military clashing with UNIT agents during their mission to find Meep, meaning the entire Noble family is forced to flee their home.
In a bombshell twist, Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) is then revealed to be the true villain, and vows to use their spaceship to wipe out the city of London.
Despite the Doctor’s best attempts to hide his identity from Donna, he is forced to give up when they’re trapped in Meep’s exploding spaceship, and his longtime friend unlocks her Doctor Donna alter-ego to destroy the ship.
In heartbreaking scenes, Donna tragically dies in The Doctor’s arms, but a shocking twist reveals that her abilities have been passed onto her daughter Rose, trickling out through her recreation of her mother’s adventures in her stuffed toys.
Not only does Rose rescue her family, but Donna, and all of her memories, are resurrected, bringing one of the show’s most beloved duos back together again.
Despite the Doctor’s concerns that the Time Lord power could overwhelm them both, Donna reassures him that they’ll handle it like any woman – by ‘letting it go.’
Just over a year after earning critical acclaim in Heartstopper, Yasmin’s performance was praised by viewers.
Throwback: Yasmin’s role as trans teen Rose was already considered groundbreaking for the show, with her name a sweet nod to The Doctor’s beloved companion Rose Tyler
Shock: Despite the Doctor’s best attempts to hide his identity from Donna, he is forced to give up when they’re trapped in Meep’s exploding spaceship, and his longtime friend unlocks her Doctor Donna alter-ego to destroy the ship
Suprise! In heartbreaking scenes, Donna tragically dies in The Doctor’s arms, but a shocking twist reveals that her abilities have been passed onto her daughter Rose, trickling out through her recreation of her mother’s adventures in her stuffed toys
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one wrote: ‘Yasmin Finney was superb as Rose’.
While a second said: ‘Also Yasmin Finney is just amazing as Rose Noble’.
A third gushed: ‘And Yasmin Finney…omg! Masterclass’.
Someone else wrote: ‘Damn this is impeccable, I’m in floods if tears Yasmin Finney is amazing’.
And: ‘Yasmin Finney also did an absolutely incredible job! I cannot imagine how important Rose is for trans people given the current social climate in the UK and the bullshit pushed by our own government… God bless her!’.
Viewers will next see The Doctor and Donna land on a mysterious alien planet in the second episode, titled The Wide Blue Yonder.
Amazing: Just over a year after earning critical acclaim in Heartstopper, Yasmin’s performance was praised by viewers
The specials will then conclude with The Giggle, starring Neil Patrick Harris as the villainous Toymaker, and will lead into Ncuti Gatwa’s debut as The Doctor on Christmas Day.
Speaking in a Q&A ahead of the first special, Russell revealed that he convinced David and Catherine to return after they took part in a Who ‘tweetalong’ during the Covid lockdown in 2020.
He also revealed that Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan has joined the cast, and will appear in the show’s Christmas Special in 2024.
‘I just love David and Catherine together, actually,’ Russell said. ‘And I love that TARDIS. David loved that set so much he thought it’d be absolutely brilliant to run around it like that. After eight takes, not quite so fun. He was worn out by the end.’
Russell added that it was Catherine who suggested she’d like to reprise her role as Donna in an upcoming episode.
‘Catherine said, ‘Oh, I’ve always loved Donna Noble and wouldn’t it be marvellous to make some more?’ And I went, ”Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,” like that. And then she asked David. She said, ”Would you make some more?” And he said he would, in a heartbeat,’ Russell said.
‘So then she told me that and I genuinely felt honour-bound to go to the BBC and say, ”Look, these two stars have just said they would love to come back.” I knew it was the 60th anniversary coming up. Simple as that.
‘So I just sent off that email about Christmas Eve or something – best Christmas present you ever had!’
‘All I got was a reply saying, ”Thank you. We’ll think about it.”
Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary celebrations continue with The Wide Blue Yonder on Saturday at 6:30pm on BBC One in the UK, and Disney+ internationally.
