She made viewers swoon in Heartstopper. Now she’s heading for the Tardis. The actor talks about teenage trauma, TikTok trolling, and juggling two armies of fans
Yasmin Finney is not at home. Instead, the 18-year-old Mancunian is holed up in a drab-looking hotel room. Is she in London for Tardis-related reasons, perhaps? “Well,” says Finney, stifling a smile and looking around with a sense of mild desperation. “Yes,” she finally says, with the care of somebody who has likely signed an exceptionally rigorous confidentiality agreement or two. “That’s something that came out this week.”
It’s been a big week for the teenager, who only recently made her screen debut as trans schoolgirl Elle Argent in Netflix’s very sweet – and very popular – romcom Heartstopper. That show came with its own ardent fan following but, in the days before we speak, Finney ascended to a new level in the world of cult British TV. She is set to join Russell T Davies’ re-rebooted Doctor Who, starring Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa as the first black Doctor.
