Rebecca Root reveals details of Doctor Who's first-ever transgender companion

ebecca Root says the gender identity of \'Doctor Who\'s first-ever transgender companion will have no influence "on her behaviour in the story".

The 51-year-old actress will play Tania Bell in a new adventure for the Time Lord, and she\'s teased the role of her character in \'Doctor Who: Stranded\', an audiobook episode released by Big Finish.

Rebecca - who previously starred in the BBC sitcom \'Boy Meets Girl\' - told Nerdist: "[Tania is] a person like all the other people I have played and hope to play in the future.

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"She\'s not perfect, but she\'s not a mess, and certainly, I don\'t think her gender identity has any influence on her behaviour in the story."

Rebecca teased her role in \'Doctor Who\' shortly after bosses of the sci-fi show voiced their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The producers decided to speak out about the issue amid anti-racism protests in various countries around the world following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

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A statement read: "The Doctor has always stood for justice. \'Doctor Who\' stands against racism.

"We stand with our black cast members, crew members, storytellers and collaborators. We stand in solidarity with our black fans and the entire black community."

Bosses of the iconic sci-fi show also hailed the Doctor as a symbol of "empathy, understanding and inclusion".

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The statement read: "The Doctor has always stood for justice, kindness, empathy, understanding and inclusion. We too will work these ideals through our stories and practises, now and always."