Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill reveal how 13 and Yaz’s relationship has changed for new adventure
"What’s great about this episode is the exploration of Yaz being a bit more combative against the Doctor."
Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill have teased a new dynamic between their characters in their next adventure in the Whoniverse.
The pair, who were last seen on screen together as the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz Khan in 2022’s The Power of the Doctor, are set to reprise their roles in The Return of the Doctor, the second of 12 new audio drama adventures from Big Finish Productions.
Speaking about how Yaz and Thirteen's relationship changes in the new outing, Whittaker said: "What’s great about this episode is the exploration of Yaz being a bit more combative against the Doctor."
She added: "Very often we’re quite in sync, but for the Doctor particularly, getting challenged and having to justify certain bits of her personality, it’s really good for her.”
Gill added: “Throughout most of the TV series, Yaz was learning a lot from the Doctor and so had to listen, but in this series their friendship has developed to a point where she can argue back when she doesn’t agree, she can question some of the Doctor’s decisions and what she thinks the Doctor should be, and can take charge a bit – which might not always be helpful!”
Doctor Who fans will remember that, after three seasons and a lot of romantic subtext between Thirteen and Yaz, Yaz was revealed to be in love with the Time Lord during the 2022 New Year special, Eve of the Daleks.
Thirteen then made clear she reciprocated Yaz’s feelings in her penultimate Doctor Who episode, Legend of the Sea Devils, but denied the possibility of any romance between them in future due to time constraints.
"Having saved the peaceful Zaarians from an evil alien threat, the Doctor and Yaz sail off to their next adventure. Only this time, Yaz wonders if they’re moving on, or running away," reads the logline for The Return of the Doctor.
It continues: "Convincing a grudging Doctor to return to the planet, they are shocked to find the Zaarians in turmoil. What did the Doctor do? Why is the city in ruins? And what’s that voice in Yaz’s head…?"
Alongside Whittaker and Gill, the cast of The Return of the Doctor includes Belinda Stewart-Wilson, Charlie Kelly, Will Kirk and Stephan Bessant.
Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: The Return of the Doctor is out now.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
