Rebecca Root, the British actor, becomes the first openly transgender person to play companion in Doctor Who, the Big Finish audio drama.

While the TV show changes the actor in the titular character, the audio drama brings back some of the former actors like Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor (1996).

 Now, Rebecca will be playing the role of Tania Bell in the new episode Standard, which has Paul as the Doctor. 

About her role, Rebecca was quoted as saying. “She’s a person like all the other people I have played and hope to play in the future. She’s not perfect, but she’s not a mess, and certainly, I don’t think her gender identity has any influence on her behavior in the story.”