Doctor Who star Yasmin Finney speaks out on the importance of her role as Rose Tyler

Actor will inherit the role of Rose Tyler from Billie Piper in new season

Yasmin Finney has shared her thoughts on her forthcoming featured role in Doctor Who.

The actor, most famous for her role as Elle Argent in Heartstopper, has been announced as the character Rose Tyler in the next season of the sci-fi programme.

She will join Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, as well as Millie Gibson who will play Ruby Sunday, the Doctor’s new companion.

In a new interview, Finney, 19, shared her reaction to joining the Doctor Who universe.

“I’m honoured to be a part of that universe, to be a part of that world,” she told Elle. “I grew up watching Doctor Who and being obsessed with Russell T Davies’ writing.”

Although it has been confirmed that Finney will not be the Doctor’s companion, fans are still curious about how the returning character of Rose will be used in the series.

Rose was initially the companion of the Ninth (Christopher Eccleston) and Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), and was portrayed by Billie Piper.

During the interview, published on Friday (28 April), Finney avoids confirming Rose’s exact position in the series, but offered her view on the impact that her character may have.

“What I can tell you is it’s about time, you know?” she explained. “It will definitely reach the audience it needs to reach and it’s going to be so needed.”

Yasmin Finney (Getty Images for Acne Studios)

Finney first came to the attention of mainstream audiences in 2021 as part of the Netflix series Heartstopper. As Elle, she is a transgender teenage girl with a close circle of friends and bright romantic prospects.

Elsewhere in the interview, Finney recalled her mother’s reaction to learning she’d scored a part in a major Netflix series.

“[She said:] ‘You’re gonna be on Netflix, child! This is everything you’ve wanted. It’s a real job!’ Her main worry was me surviving in this world, paying bills and being an adult,” said Finney.

“So when I got Heartstopper, it was the first legit job, and it was a job that highlighted who I was as a trans person – what’s not to love about it?”

The new season of Heartstopper will launch on Netflix on 3 August.