Doctor Who’s legions of fans have been excited by recent news concerning the future of the show, but that’s likely nothing to what Yasmin Finney felt when she was cast in the role of Rose, a character we so far know little about but one who looks set to be an important part of future episodes.

Speaking to the Guardian, Finney is understandably unable to give anything away, but says of working alongside David Tennant and Catherine Tate that, having watched them in the series as a child, it’s “a bit surreal to be acting with them. It’s insane and I’m learning so much.” Of her casting by Russell T Davies, she says she’s “in awe of the fact that I’ve been seen by such a legend.”

Yasmin Finney is still just 18 but has built up a huge social media following, initially via a TikTok account which she used to record her experiences as a trans female. Though she gained support from many, she also had a significant amount of abuse:

“For the most part, it was hate back then. I can’t lie. It gave me a thick skin. I’ve had all the hate in the world through TikTok.”

Undeterred, she didn’t hesitate to put herself forward for the part of Elle in Heartstopper, a Netflix show about two schoolboys who fall in love based on a webcomic series by Alice Oseman. “I just knew I would get it – it was a calling. There was no way anybody else could play this character,” she says.

Heartstopper has been successful enough to be recommissioned for two further series. After growing up with a dearth of on screen representation for people like herself, Finney is fully aware of the importance of portraying characters like Elle:

“You do not understand: the amount of time I’ve spent searching for representation, clawing for it, and trying to find somebody I could look up to as an idol, somebody that is a reflection of me.”

Read the full interview at Guardian online. Yasmin Finney will be seen as Rose in Doctor Who in 2023.