In case you never got the memo, Doctor Who has always been about inclusivity and acceptance. We’re talking about a 2000-year-old Time Lord who may or may not have been a woman at any point in their long career, after all, and the fact that the Thirteenth incarnation of the character actually happens to be one on-screen and seemingly in a will-they-won’t-they relationship with her current companion Yaz will be enough to put any such doubts to rest.
Appearing with showrunner Chris Chibnall for a recent panel to promote her final episode as a companion on Doctor Who, here’s what Mandip Gill had to say (per RadioTimes) about the role of representation in the long-running BBC sci-fi series.
“It feels amazing because I wanted to be seen when I was growing up. We can only thank Chris for writing those characters,” she said. “I see a lot of fan art and I have had loads of interactions with people where it’s meant so much to them. And I know what that feels like, to see yourself. It brings people to tears to be seen.
“It’s just mad that it’s 2022 when that’s happening, that it’s taken that long for a group of people to be seen. But I’m so honored to have been part of that.”
Back when Peter Capaldi spearheaded the series as the Twelfth and continuously butted heads with the Mistress, his arch-nemesis, it became pretty apparent that Time Lords have always been gender fluid. And when Chibnall came on board, he finally took that leap of faith by casting a female actor in the titular role after more than 50 years.
To push the envelope a bit further — which seemed highly appropriate given the times we live in now — the Thirteenth Doctor was written in a way that left her sexuality up to interpretation. And now, having developed a close bond with Yaz to rival that of Tenth and Rose’s, everyone knows what’s truly in her heart.
Will Thirteen and Yaz get their happy ending in the upcoming centenary special? With Jodie Whittaker regenerating and passing the mantle to Ncuti Gatwa, that seems highly unlikely, but we’ll hold on to hope for the time being.
The Power of the Doctor is premiering on Oct. 23 across the BBC cable network and BBC iPlayer.