As we get closer to Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary specials, there's a lot of confusion regarding how involved our new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, will be. Trailers have advertised David Tennant's return and others as the highlight, while Gatwa only has a small presence with the same moment often inserted into each trailer. Now, we have more evidence that alludes to his role possibly being bigger than expected, or perhaps, it's something else entirely. It all comes from Yasmin Finney who has me wondering what this means for the show after she stated she acted with him.
Yasmin Finney, who will play Donna Noble's daughter Rose in the 60th-anniversary specials, spoke to Elle about working with Ncuti Gatwa. While she's talked about this previously and had us wondering about the Fifteenth Doctor's involvement in the specials, these latest comments make it more deliberate that they will share scenes together at some point in the future:
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.
This feels like explicit confirmation that Yasmin Finney and Ncuti Gatwa have scenes together, which could mean a few things. Let's talk through the possibilities below and why this will make tuning into Doctor Who with a Disney+ subscription later this year all the more exciting.
Ncuti Gatwa Could Play A Bigger Role As The Doctor In The 60th-Anniversary
Based on what we've seen so far, it didn't originally look like Ncuti Gatwa was heavily involved in Doctor Who's 60th anniversary. He wasn't seen at any of the public filmings, and as mentioned, David Tennant's return was highly publicized. The Sex Education star was also filming on the set of Barbie when these scenes were shot, so it was assumed his role would be small.
If Gatwa filmed with Yasmin Finney, we can at least speculate that he'll physically appear as The Doctor in the "real world" of Doctor Who rather than in some dream sequence or something similar. Whether this means Tennant's Doctor will regenerate into Gatwa's, or there's some time travel or other wibbly-wobbly weirdness happening is another question entirely. With that being said, however, it does seem like if Gatwa acted with Finney, his role might be meatier than what has been advertised thus far.
Will Yasmin Finney Join Doctor Who Season 14 As A Companion?
Another possibility to consider is that Yasmin Finney is an unannounced companion for Doctor Who Season 14. Right now, we know Millie Gibson is confirmed to be a companion of The Doctor when Ncuti Gatwa's season officially starts, but it's possible there could be another. Multiple companions are not uncommon for a Doctor, however, the Heartstopper star's comments have me wondering if her involvement in Season 14 is a secret we won't learn about until after the specials conclude.
As for why that would be a secret, it's possible it pertains to the plot of Doctor Who's anniversary specials. Who knows for certain what Russell T. Davies is planning in this new era of the long-running series, which will reportedly get a budget increase under the Disney+ partnership. In any case, I'm excited to hear that we may get a better look at Gatwa's Doctor than originally thought.
Doctor Who will premiere on Disney+ with new episodes kicking off the 60th-anniversary celebration in November 2023.
