Doctor Who's Yasmin Finney says show had code name when she auditioned

While many fans are speculating as to whether Finney's new character has any ties to the jointly named Billie Piper character during David Tennant's reign as Doctor, Finney admits that playing a role with "a lot of history" also comes with its fair share of pressure.

In an interview with Elle, Finney opened up about her new role in Doctor Who and revealed that actually, when auditioning for the role, the show's name was kept a mystery behind a code name.

Finney said of her role as Rose: "I mean it’s obviously got a lot of history, hasn’t it? To play a character with such history, even just the name, you’ve got that pressure instantly that I didn’t have with Elle.

"It was a complete mind-blowing experience when I got cast. I can’t really relive it because I was so in the moment. At first, [the show] had a code name, and then I found out what the show was and I was like, 'Oh my God, I’ve just been cast in Doctor Who.'"

She added: "It’s a trans character as well, and it’s such a blessing as well to be able to play such a monumental character like Rose."

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As for what Rose will be involved in in the new series, Finney remained tight-lipped about things to come in Doctor Who but did say that starring alongside Ncuti Gatwa was an "amazing" experience.

She said: "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."

Many fans have been wondering whether Finney's Rose will not only have ties to Piper's former character, but also to Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and could be aptly named after Tennant's previous companion.

Nothing's confirmed, but everything's a possibility, especially considering the fact that the specials mark the return of showrunner Russell T Davies and former stars Tennant and Tate.

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Episodes of the classic series can be streamed on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

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