Doctor Who has dominated pop culture headlines as of late with some major announcements. First, fans learned that Ncuti Gatwa would become the Fourteenth Doctor following the end of Jodie Whittaker's tenure. Then it seemed like fans had hit the gold mine with the announcement that David Tennant and Catherine Tate would return for the 60th anniversary. Now, it's been revealed that Rose Tyler will also join in the celebration, though according to this latest release, she's coming back in a rather wild way.
Actress Yasmin Finney will appear as Rose Tyler in the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration, and most Doctor Who fans won't need to reference their HBO Max subscriptions to realize she's not the original Rose. Billie Piper first played one of the most iconic companions in franchise history, so this is quite the surprise. In a statement shared with Deadline, Finney spoke about her casting and expressed just how massive it is for her:
If anyone would have told eight-year-old Yasmin that one day she’d be part of this iconic show, I would have never in a million years believed them. 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.
Yasmin Finney will be one of the first trans actresses to join Doctor Who but, beyond that, we don't know much about her character. One thing we do know is that Billie Piper did once express some interest in returning to play Rose not long after Russell T. Davies was announced to return as the showrunner, but there's no word on her return at this time.
There’s still a chance that both Billie Piper and Yasmin Finney play Rose Tyler, if one previous rumor is to be believed. Metro reported back in March that Hugh Grant would step in as The Doctor and that Doctor Who was interested in exploring the multiverse. While I’m still not sure we’ll actually see Grant appear as a Doctor, Finney could be playing a Rose from an alternate universe, which would be very interesting to see.
It's also worth noting that the franchise has about 100 other scenarios it can use to justify this casting. Beyond the real-life explanation that it was a simple recasting and Billie Piper was unavailable, perhaps there's some other mystical reason Rose Tyler looks different this time around. I'm leaning towards the idea that there's a specific story-related reason for this. Because if it was just a recast, I'd think it'd be specified in the announcement. I guess we'll just have to wait for more details to see what's going on, and that wait is feeling longer with each major announcement.
Doctor Who's 60th anniversary will air sometime in 2023. Fans will have something to look forward to in the meantime, though, as BBC America will send Jodie Whittaker's Doctor on her way in a farewell episode later in 2022.
