Doctor Who 60th Anniversary: Viewers laud Yasmin Finney’s debut after she steals the show as Donna Noble’s transgender daughter Rose in surprise regeneration twist: ‘She is absolutely superb!’
Doctor Who fans have declared that Yasmin Finney ‘stole the show’ during the first 60th Anniversary special, after making her debut as Donna Noble’s transgender daughter Rose.
The Heartstopper actress was praised by viewers for her performance in the hour-long episode, which saw her having to flee with her family after discovering a fluffy alien called Beep The Meep.
Yasmin’s role as trans teenager Rose was already considered groundbreaking for the show, with her name being a sweet nod to The Doctor’s beloved companion Rose Tyler.
With a secret love for crafts, she showcased her talents by making cuddly toys to sell online despite Donna’s disapproval, a source of comfort after being bullied by other teens for her transition.
In the special, Rose discovers the mysterious alien that escaped from a crashed spaceship, a cute fluffy creature named Meep, and tries 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 making her debut as Donna Noble’s transgender daughter Rose
Fan Favorite: The Heartstopper actress (L) was praised by viewers for her performance in the hour-long episode, in which she had to flee with her family after discovering a fluffy alien named Beep The Meep (pictured with co- star Catherine Tate, R)
But Donna (Catherine Tate), who at this point still has no memories of The Doctor (David Tennant), finds the animal and is, unsurprisingly, left reeling.
Things take a chaotic turn when the Doctor shows up at Donna’s house, while enraged alien military personnel clash with UNIT agents on their mission to find Meep, meaning the entire Noble family is forced to flee their home.
In a surprising twist, it is then revealed that Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) is the real 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 it up when they are trapped in Meep’s exploding spaceship, and his old friend unlocks her alter ego of Doctor Donna 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 on to her daughter Rose, seeping into her imitation of her mother’s adventures in her stuffed animals.
Not only does Rose save her family, but Donna and all her memories come back to life, bringing one of the series’ most beloved duos back together.
Despite the Doctor’s concerns that the Time Lord’s power could overwhelm them both, Donna assures him that they will deal with it like any woman would – by “letting it go.”
Just over a year after receiving 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 efforts to hide his identity from Donna, he is forced to give it up when they are trapped in Meep’s exploding spaceship, and his old friend unlocks her alter ego Doctor Donna to destroy the ship
Surprise! In heartbreaking scenes, Donna tragically dies in The Doctor’s arms, but a shocking twist reveals that her abilities have been passed on to her daughter Rose, seeping into her reproduction of her mother’s adventures in her cuddles.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, someone wrote: ‘Yasmin Finney was fantastic 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 flawless, I’m in floods of tears. Yasmin Finney is amazing’.
And: ‘Yasmin Finney really did a fantastic job too! I can’t imagine how important Rose is to trans people, given the current social climate in Britain and the bulls*** being 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 she won critical acclaim in Heartstopper, Yasmin’s performance was praised by viewers
Unanimous: Viewers took to social media in droves to praise the actress
The specials then conclude with The Giggle, starring Neil Patrick Harris as the evil Toymaker, and will lead up to Ncuti Gatwa’s debut as The Doctor on Christmas Day.
In a Q&A ahead of the first special, Russell revealed that he convinced David and Catherine to return after taking part in a Who ‘tweetalong’ during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
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 actually just love David and Catherine together,” Russell said. ‘And I love that TARDIS. David loved that set so much that he thought it would be absolutely brilliant to run around it like that. After eight takes, not so fun. In the end he was exhausted.’
Russell added that it was Catherine who suggested that she would 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 great to make more?’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,’ like that. And then she asked David. She said, “Do you want to make more?” And he immediately said he would,” Russell said.
‘So then she told me that and I felt really honored to go to the BBC and say, ‘Look, these two stars have just said they’d love to come back.’ I knew it was the 60th anniversary coming up. . Simple as that.
“So I just sent that email about Christmas Eve or something – the best Christmas present you ever had!”
“All I got was a reply that said, ‘Thank you. We will think about it.”
Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary celebrations continue on Saturday at 6.30pm with The Wide Blue Yonder on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ internationally.