Doctor Who’s showrunner has teased that the upcoming Easter special will see the Doctor and her companion Yasmin finally address their romantic feelings for each other.
Chris Chibnall said conversations between the pair, played by Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, would be “developing and taking place” during the one-off episode, called Legend Of The Sea Devils.
Since first appearing on screen 60 years ago, The Doctor has often been involved in romantic subplots, but this would be the first same-sex relationship with a companion on TV.
The recent New Year episode, Eve Of The Daleks, saw Yasmin finally confide her feelings for the Doctor to Dan Lewis, played by comedian John Bishop.
Ahead of the next special, Chibnall said: “Dan has cottoned on to the dynamic between the Doctor and Yaz, and from a distance observed what they haven’t been admitting to themselves.
“I think really, in Eve Of The Daleks, both Yaz and the Doctor have hinted that they have feelings that they are suppressing and keeping quiet about.
“So there are some conversations that need to be had and you’ll see those conversations developing and taking place in Legend Of The Sea Devils.
“The Doctor and Yaz have something to talk about.”
Gill, who has played the Doctor’s assistant since joining the programme in 2017, also offered an insight into how their potential relationship is evolving.
She said: “So the relationship between the Doctor and Yaz has definitely developed further.
“There’s not an awful lot I can say about it but there’s a lot of bravery, there’s a lot of emotion and a lot of understanding, and openness.
“Conversations are not concluded in this episode, but they still definitely have advanced from where they were at the New Year’s episode. There’s a lot of open and honest conversations.”
Gill said the episode, which is set in a coastal village in China and features the return of the classic Sea Devil monsters, would give viewers “a sense that something is coming because there always is something coming when the Doctor is around”.
She added: “Things have not been resolved by the end of the episode and I think that can be said for the relationship between Yaz and the Doctor but also the Doctor’s history and future.”
Whittaker, who has played the Time Lord since 2017, announced in July that she will be leaving the BBC sci-fi drama following a trio of specials.
Showrunner Chibnall is also set to leave the programme to be replaced by Russell T Davies, who was behind the 2005 revival of the show.
Legend Of The Sea Devils airs on Easter Sunday, April 17, at 7.10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.