I’m so proud, says first trans star of Doctor Who

YASMIN FINNEY has spoken of her pride at being the first trans star of Doctor Who, saying growing up she had “never seen a young British trans character that I could look up to”.

Best known for appearing in the Netflix series Heartstopper, Finney, 19, will star alongside returning Doctor David Tennant and new Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa and marks a new era for the BBC sci-fi drama. Speaking to ES Magazine, she described her casting as a “surreal” moment: “I grew up watching it — it was prestige television, and it still is. To be part of that world, with some of TV’s gold stars, is a blessing.”

Of working alongside Gatwa, who also stars in Barbie, she said: “Two black, queer, magic actors on screen together? It was bound to happen, the universe was bound to connect the lines. We’re intertwined, and I think we complement each other so well. We see how privileged we are.”

The actress, right, who grew up in Manchester, spoke about the importance of more LGBTQ+ representation on screen, saying: “I was at school not that long ago. I can remember everything, and I remember specifically there being only a handful of shows that had any sort of representation. If they did it would be American shows. I’d never seen a young British trans character that I could look up to.”

It is a big year for Doctor Who as the show marks its 60th anniversary. It will see a number of familiar faces return including Tennant and Catherine Tate.

The show centres on time travel and Finney doesn’t have to think too hard about what decade she would choose to go back to. “I love the Eighties — the big afros, the flares, the roller-skates, the bold make-up,” she enthused. As for being able to go back and impart some knowledge on her younger self, she said: “Hold on. Hold on to you and don’t lose yourself in all the loud noise and discrimination.”