Expectations were high heading into The Church on Ruby Road. Beyond being the first Doctor Who Christmas special since 2017, it marks the first solo appearance of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. It also introduces Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, the first companion of the new season.
That is a lot of unknown quantities to play with, ignoring how the show has effectively regenerated itself into a new series. The new season is listed as Season One, despite Doctor Who’s sixty-year history. Thankfully, the classic spirit of Doctor Who is firmly in evidence throughout The Church on Ruby Road.
Now nearly 19, Ruby Sunday is a foundling, abandoned at the title church on Christmas Eve. One of 33 children raised by mother Carla and grandmother Cherry, Ruby is better off than most foster children. Yet she is still curious about her birth parents and searching for some clue to her origins.
Coincidence and ill fortune dog Ruby’s steps, with accidents ranging from dropped drinks to falling holiday displays. This brings Ruby to the attention of the Doctor, who comes to call just as Carla’s latest fostering is abducted by goblins. This leads Ruby on a chase across the rooftops of Notting Hill and the first of many adventures with the Doctor.
Everything Old is New Again
Comparisons to the first time Doctor Who was revived in 2005 seem inevitable. Beyond Russell T. Davies returning as showrunner, the new series has a short-haired Doctor in a leather coat and a 19 year old blonde companion. This is surface-dressing, however, and The Church on Ruby Road is more notable for how it distinguishes the new Doctor and Ruby from the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler.
Ncuti Gatwa continues to charm, playing the more carefree and easy-going Doctor first seen in The Giggle. While past incarnations of the Doctor may have danced, none of them seemed the type to dance casually. Gatwa’s Doctor, by contrast, blends right into the 2023 club scene, and has no issue with taking a night off from saving the universe. He also bursts into song easily while improvising a rescue.
Ironically, for all that Doctor Who does to paint the Doctor as a figure of mystery, we know far less about Ruby Sunday. We don’t learn much about Ruby as a person other than she is in a band and wants to find her birth parents. Ruby’s foster family is better developed, suggesting her history will be a big part of the coming season.
The Blue Box of Tricks
While the Doctor and his companion are different, the classic core of Doctor Who remains unchanged. There are still monsters to be fought and wonders to behold. The Doctor still has a number of gadgets in his box of tricks. Beyond the newly redesigned sonic screwdriver and psychic paper, the Doctor also has a pair of gloves that make gripping things easier.
Showrunner Russell T. Davies has speculated the new season will annoy hard science fiction fans as the show takes a “sly step towards fantasy.” Yet Doctor Who has always been at its best when treated as a fairy tale. Despite its sci-fi scenarios and alien antagonists, the show runs on Clarke’s Third Law. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The Doctor himself has been teased as being both Merlin and Father Christmas by various episodes. So why should he not fight baby-eating goblins?
A Jolly Song About Eating Babies
Special attention must be paid to the musical number that is the centerpiece of the episode. The gleeful goblins sing a wickedly cheerful number about how great their King is and how much they love eating babies. The number is a toe-tapper, and sure to bring a subversive smile to those who appreciate the irony of a song about monsters eating children in the middle of a Christmas special nominally aimed at a young audience. Again, we see the fairy tale influence of the Doctor Who concept, firmly placed front and center.
Overall, there is much to admire in The Church on Ruby Road. It is a welcome introduction for newcomers, with no homework required going in. Fans of classic Doctor Who and the 2005 revival will find the heart of the show remains unchanged. The budget may be higher, but the show remains a spirited adventure about a madman with a box.
Grade: 5/5
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road is now streaming on BBC iplayer and Disney+.
