In a new interview, actor Mandip Gill explains why she won't be leaving her role of Yasmin Khan in the upcoming Doctor Who holiday special, despite her fellow companions doing so. It was recently reported that two of the three companions to The Doctor, Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), are set to depart Doctor Who in the New Year's Day episode, titled 'Revolution Of The Daleks'.
Since the beginning of Doctor Who season 11 in 2018, Gill has been at Jodie Whittaker's Doctor's side. Despite mostly sharing screen time with O'Brien and Sinclair, Khan's backstory provided deeper layers to her character, being introduced as a young police officer who faced past trauma and mental health issues. With the current state of The Doctor and her companions currently on a cliffhanger at the end of the last season, the subsequent episode in form of 'Revolution Of The Daleks' seems to be spelling doom for the characters from what has been seen so far, especially with the confirmation that it will mean saying goodbye to O'Brien and Sinclair. However, Gill has explained why the same won't be said for Yasmin.
Speaking to Radio Times, Mandip Gill discussed the future of her character, saying “I just thought, ‘I’m not ready for this journey to end... Why leave something if you’re enjoying it, it’s working and there’s development?" Also touching on her character's struggle with mental illness, Gill elaborated on how the show could expand on her character, noting that the mental illness aspect "can sort of be explored a little bit further – there’s room now to explore that. It never probably felt like the right time to do it before. So I’m looking forward to it.” It is believed that Gill's Yasmin Khan will be The Doctor's sole companion in the forthcoming season of Doctor Who.
With current companions Graham O'Brien and Ryan Sinclair already confirmed to leave the series, and the special being touted as a Dalek origin story of sorts, Doctor Who's holiday special has a lot to live up to. Its New Year's Day airdate is fast approaching, and as with most other specials throughout the history of the franchise, it will undoubtedly be an exciting way to ring in the new year. But what is more exciting is that Gill's Yasmin may go on to become a singular companion to The Doctor, and although the 'Fam' trio of recent has been an interesting dynamic, a sole companionship harkens back to the days of classic Doctor Who, in which The Doctor would share their adventures with one close friend. Add to that the exploration the show may delve into in terms of Khan's untapped potential, she'll hopefully have her time to shine.
Doctor Who holiday specials are nothing short of historic, with 'Revolution Of The Daleks' set to be no different. Knowing that the show will be loosing not only one, but two companions is a hard to pill to swallow, but hearing how enthusiastic Mandip Gill is to continue her character of Yasmin Khan is undoubtedly exciting. Her chemistry with Whittaker's Doctor is strong, and will hopefully become even stronger over Doctor Who season 13.
Source: Radio Times