Yasmin Finney

Yasmin Finney: “with Doctor Who and Heartstopper I get to open doors”

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In a speech after accepting Attitude magazine’s Pride Icon Award at the magazine’s sixth annual Pride Awards show in London on Thursday, 28 July, Yasmin Finney celebrated the “transmagic” and honour of being a visible transwoman on screen.

“It’s such a surreal moment. I’m hoping that with everything I’m doing with Doctor Who, with Heartstopper I get to open doors — not only for me but for other queer people that want to be in the industry because we all deserve a seat at the table.”

Finney briefly described her Doctor Who character Rose to Attitude magazine at the awards.

“All I’m going to say is it’s a really heartfelt thing and the character I get to play is like Elle in the sense of she’s finding her feet. But she is younger than Elle. Rose is still finding her feet in terms of her identity. And the storyline is so fluid and beautiful.”

“I remember watching [The Runaway Bride] with Catherine Tate and David Tennant and that was Russell’s (Showrunner Russell T Davies) most iconic episode to me back in the day. I remember watching it when I was eleven or twelve and thinking I’d love to be a part of that. And here I am, as a queer person as well, so it really speaks volumes for the way the industry is going.”

“Russell is incredible. He is like my ‘set Dad’. He makes me feel so welcomed and so warm and he has so many incredible stories and he’s full of life and I genuinely just admire him so much. His career is so inspiring to me and I look up to him.”

After accepting her award from author and fellow transwoman Juno Dawson, who has written several Doctor Who novels, she expressed her gratitude to be given the opportunity to represent trans people on screen.

“Wow. I feel so honoured to be seen as a queer person, in general, and to be seen and to be here right now on the stage as a step forward to opening doors for other trans people in the industry.”

“I Just remember young Yasmin and she never had the representation that I get to give. This [award] is for all the young Yasmins out there that never had that representation.”

“I can’t wait for you all to see the transmagic coming to your screens in 2023!”

Finney will be seen on screens in 2023 as Rose, likely Donna Noble’s daughter, as part of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials and as Elle Argent in Season 2 of Heartstopper, which is likely to begin filming in September 2022.