Yasmin Khan (Doctor Who)
Yasmin Khan, often shortened to Yaz, is a fictional character created by Chris Chibnall and portrayed by Mandip Gill in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the show's eleventh series, starting with the first episode, Yasmin serves as a companion of the Thirteenth Doctor, an incarnation of the alien time traveller known as the Doctor (portrayed by Jodie Whittaker).
| Yasmin Khan | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who character | |
.jpg) Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan | |
| First appearance | "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" (2018) |
| Portrayed by | Mandip Gill |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human |
| Affiliation | Thirteenth Doctor |
| Relatives | Hakim Khan (father) Najia Khan (mother) Sonya Khan (younger sister) Umbreen (maternal grandmother) |
| Home | Earth |
Appearances
Television
Yasmin Khan is introduced in the eleventh series premiere, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth". Yaz is a 19-year-old probationary police officer from Sheffield, England who is eager to prove herself. She attended primary school with Ryan Sinclair.[1] She continues to live with her family (parents Hakim and Najia, and younger sister Sonya) in a flat, Park Hill. When she returns to her home in "Arachnids in the UK", she decides she wants to fully join the Doctor on her travels.
In "Demons of the Punjab" she asks the Doctor if she could go back in time to visit and learn about the life of her grandmother, Umbreen (Amita Suman). Thinking she'll meet her grandfather, being given his broken watch, she finds him no-where. She decides to stay, despite the Doctor's warnings, becoming part of her grandmother's history during the Partition of India, where Umbreen's first husband died.[2]
Yaz struggled with her mental health when she was younger and forced to have nightmares by the immortal Zellin about the day she ran away from home in " Can You Hear Me?". Three years on Yaz and Sonya mark the event with an anniversary dinner. Yaz was found on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere by a Police Officer after Sonya phoned them out of fear that Yaz would harm herself. The officer , Anita, talks to Yaz and proposes a bet with her about the choice she's making. She located Anita after the Doctor stopped the immortals from plaguing humans with nightmares as a gratuitous way of saying thank you. [3]
Other media
In September 2018, three Series 11 tie-in novels were announced, all of which feature Yasmin Khan – The Good Doctor, Molten Heart and Combat Magicks. Yaz is depicted on the cover of Combat Magicks.[4]
Casting and development
On 22 October 2017, it was announced that Gill had been cast as a companion in the eleventh series of Doctor Who, and would appear alongside Jodie Whittaker in 2018.[5]
The character's mother, Najia Khan (Shobna Gulati) was introduced in the fourth episode of the series, "Arachnids in the UK".[6]
References
- "Series 11, Doctor Who - Yasmin Khan - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- Writer Vinay Patel, Director Jamie Childs, Producer Alex Mercer (11 November 2018). "Demons of the Punjab". Doctor Who. Series 11. Episode 6. Cardiff. BBC. BBC One.
- Writer Charlene James & Chris Chibnall, Director Emma Sullivan, Producer Alex Mercer (9 February 2020). "Can You Hear Me?". Doctor Who. Series 12. Episode 7. Cardiff. BBC. BBC One.
- Marcus (21 September 2018). "New Thirteenth Doctor Books". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- "Doctor Who: Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill and Sharon D Clarke join Jodie Whittaker as regular cast members". Radio Times. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- Jeffery, Morgan (23 October 2018). "Shobna Gulati on playing Yaz's mum and facing down spiders in Doctor Who: 'I'm an arachnophobe!'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
