Doctor Who’s most controversial pairing officially returning next month — but there’s a catch
Doctor Who fans will see the reunion of Thirteen (Jodie Whittaker) and her companion Yaz (Mandip Gill) next month in a new Big Finish audio drama, "The Greatest Train Robbery." The pairing, known to fans as "Thasmin," was notable for being the first same-sex relationship the show followed between the Doctor and a companion, and their on-screen parting proved divisive among viewers. The audio release marks the pair's first joint outing in four years, continuing Big Finish's ongoing series of full-cast audio dramas that extend the stories of televised Doctor and companion pairings.
The episode is part of "Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures," an audio anthology that began in July 2025 with "Vampire Weekend" and is planned to run to 12 episodes, of which eight have so far been released. Written by Karissa Hamilton-Bannis and inspired by Ursula Le Guin's short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the 60-minute instalment sees the Doctor and Yaz board a hijacked space train bound for the Maelin system, forcing them to work out who really needs rescuing. It is due for release in September, though the article does not specify an exact date.
- Thirteen and Yaz reunite in a new Big Finish audio drama
- "The Greatest Train Robbery" releases in September, part of a 12-part series
- Marks the pair's first story together in four years
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Doctor Who is a long-running British science-fiction series in which the lead character, the Doctor, regenerates into a new form over time and travels through time and space, usually with one or more human "companions." Jodie Whittaker played the Doctor's thirteenth incarnation on television, with Mandip Gill as her companion Yaz. During their time on the show, the pair developed a close relationship that many fans read as romantic, nicknamed "Thasmin," which stood out because it was the first time the programme had explored a same-sex relationship between the Doctor and a companion.
Since Whittaker and Gill left the television series, Big Finish, a company that produces licensed audio dramas, has continued their characters' story in a separate series of full-cast audio adventures. These allow former cast members to keep voicing their roles outside the main show, giving fans further stories without any new television episodes.