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 appearance in the hour-long episode, in which she was forced to flee with her family after discovering a fluffy alien named Beep The Meep.
Yasmin’s role as transsexual teenager Rose was already considered groundbreaking for the series, with her name a sweet nod to Rose Tyler, the Doctor’s beloved companion.
With a secret love of crafts, she showcased her talent by making stuffed animals to sell online, despite Donna’s disapproval. This was a source of comfort after she was bullied by other teenagers during her transition.
In the special, Rose discovers the mysterious alien that escaped from a crashed spaceship, an adorable 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 (left) was praised by viewers for her appearance in the hour-long episode as she had to flee with her family after discovering a fluffy alien named Beep The Meep (pictured with co-star Catherine Tate , right).
But Donna (Catherine Tate), who at this point still has no memories of the Doctor (David Tennant), finds the animal and, unsurprisingly, begins to falter.
Things take a chaotic turn when the Doctor shows up at Donna’s house and angry alien military forces clash with UNIT agents during their mission to find Meep, meaning the entire Noble family is forced to flee their home .
In a bombastic twist, Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) then turns out to be the true villain and vows to wipe out the city of London with her spaceship.
Despite the Doctor’s best efforts to hide his identity from Donna, he is forced to give up when they are trapped in Meep’s exploding spaceship and his long-time 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 on to her daughter Rose, who is expressed by recreating her mother’s adventures in her stuffed animals.
Not only does Rose save her family, Donna and all of her memories are revived, bringing one of the series’ most beloved duos back together.
Despite the Doctor’s fears that the Time Lord’s power will overwhelm them both, Donna assures him that they will deal with it like any woman – by “letting it go”.
Just over a year after earning critical acclaim in Heartstopper, Yasmin’s performance has been praised by viewers.
Review: Yasmin’s role as trans teenager Rose was already considered groundbreaking for the series, with her name a sweet nod to Rose Tyler, the Doctor’s beloved companion
Shock: Despite the Doctor’s best efforts to hide his identity from Donna, he is forced to give up when they are trapped in Meep’s exploding spaceship and his long-time friend unlocks her Doctor Donna alter-ego 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, who is expressed by recreating her mother’s adventures in her stuffed animals
On X, formerly known as Twitter, one wrote: “Yasmin Finney was great 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 burst into tears Yasmin Finney is amazing.”
And: “Yasmin Finney did an absolutely incredible job too! I can’t imagine how important Rose is to trans people, given the current social climate in the UK and the bullshit pushed by our own government… God bless her!” .
Next, viewers will 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 received 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 villainous Toymaker, and lead into Ncuti Gatwa’s debut as “The Doctor on Christmas Day.”
In a question and answer session ahead of the first special, Russell revealed he had 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 series’ Christmas special in 2024.
“I actually love David and Catherine together,” Russell said. “And I love this TARDIS. David loved this set so much that he thought it would be absolutely awesome to walk around with it. Not quite as funny after eight takes. By 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 wonderful to do more?’ And I said, “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,” like that. And then she asked David. She said, ‘Would you do more?’ And he said he would in a heartbeat,” Russell said.
“So she told me that and I was really honored to go to the BBC and say, ‘Look, these two stars have just said they’d like to come back.’ I knew the 60th anniversary was coming.” . As simple as that.
“So I just sent this email about Christmas Eve or something – the best Christmas present you ever had!”
“All I got was an answer: ‘Thank you very much.’ ‘We’ll 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 on Disney+ internationally.