Doctor Who Stars Address That Unresolved Relationship

Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, who played the Thirteenth Doctor and her companion Yaz respectively in the long-running sci-fi series "Doctor Who," have addressed the lingering question of their characters' unresolved romantic tension.

While speaking to RadioTimes.com ahead of their upcoming appearance in the "Thirteenth Doctor Adventures" audio series from Big Finish, Gill joked about the lack of a romantic conclusion to their on-screen relationship: "I’m not entirely sad [that there wasn’t a kiss] because Jodie doesn’t moisturise her lips!"

However, she clarified her stance, stating, "I don't think of it as another version. That is the version. That's where we left it. That's how it happened."

Whittaker echoed Gill's sentiment, expressing her fondness for the way their characters' relationship concluded on screen.

"I’m quite protective over it," she explained. "It was a really beautiful thing, particularly the scenes in the TARDIS - they were really wonderful to shoot, because that was our last day."

She elaborated on the final scenes, highlighting their emotional weight: "We shot those and then went and sat on top of the TARDIS and then shot in isolation, straight after that, the moment of regeneration. And I think those beats, even though, story-wise, they don't run all together, for us, because that's how we shot it, it felt like a beautiful progression within the dynamic and the relationship that they had."

Despite this, both actresses left the door open for future exploration of their characters' relationship.

"And I think also it's just, never say never!" Whittaker said. "We’ve got adventures to do. We could be [kissing] in the background!"

While the "Thirteenth Doctor Adventures" will focus on individual adventures, rather than solely on the Doctor and Yaz's relationship, the actresses hinted at the potential for future stories that delve deeper into their characters' connection.

"It's kind of isolated stories - rather than it being about the Doctor and Yaz's relationship, it's the adventure of the episode," Whittaker explained. "It's these guys on their travels, what they come across, and their natural banter and rhythm between each other, but then also the protectiveness that they both have for each other."

Gill added, "But we haven't seen anything beyond this. So it could be that there's an episode that...that gives us time to explore. But right now we've concentrated on the adventure in hand."

The "Thirteenth Doctor Adventures" are set to debut in July 2025. Meanwhile, "Doctor Who" will return for a special Christmas episode on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, with previous seasons available to stream on BBC iPlayer.