BBC shuts down viewer complaints about transgender character in Doctor Who
The BBC have addressed complaints over the inclusion of a transgender character in a Doctor Who episode.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the hit series, a whole batch of new episodes were aired. David Tennant and Catherine Tate even reprised their roles as the Doctor and Donna for the anniversary. Actress Yasmin Finney, 20, played the role of Donna and her husband Shaun's daughter, Rose Noble.
She appeared in the first of the three specials, titled The Star Beast. In the episode, Rose was a major part of the plot as she revised the canon for Donna to regain her memories of travelling with the Doctor. Rose then made another appearance during an episode called The Giggle, where she let slip she had been on her own TARDIS expeditions.
Yasmin played Rose Noble in the special Doctor Who episodes (Alistair Heap/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)However, the BBC received 144 complaints from viewers about Yasmin's character with some calling Rose "inappropriate". The complainers were in the minority as 7.6 million enjoyed the special episodes. The BBC decided to address the complaints as they hit back: "As regular viewers of Doctor Who will be aware, the show has and will always continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in. We are always mindful of the content within our episodes."
Yasmin's character has been confirmed to be returning for Doctor Who's season 14 which is set to air in May. Fans got their first taste of the new series after the Christmas special aired. Ncuti Gatwa will make his debut as the fifteenth Doctor alongside his companion Ruby Sunday played by Millie Gibson.
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Yasmin, who is best known for her role in teen drama Heartstopper, opened up about starring as Rose last year. She said: “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.”
While showrunner Russell T Davies added: “Life on Doctor Who gets brighter and wilder, how can there be another Rose? You’ll find out in 2023, but it’s an absolute joy to welcome Yasmin. We all fell in love with her in Heartstopper, one of those shows which changes the world, and now Yasmin can change the Whoniverse.”
The actress has also set her sights high for the future, and admitted she'd love to be the first transgender Bond girl. Yasmin told The Mirror: “I would love to be a trans Bond girl or just a Bond girl in general. I love James Bond. Every time I watch a Bond film, I think I would love to be that cool, sexy Bond girl that has never been done before.”
Yasmin shared she has been inspirted by Caroline Cossey, who appeared as an extra in the 1981 Bond film, For Your Eyes Only. She was afterwards outed as trans by a newspaper, and later told how she contemplated suicide when her gender identity was exposed. Yasmin said: “Shoutout to Caroline. She has inspired me in a way to be the positive representation that James Bond never had. There are people in the industry that were transphobic, but now they aren’t because of the way things are changing. I’d rather not fight it and be a part of it.”
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