The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)

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The Church on Ruby Road
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The Church on Ruby Road was the 2023 Christmas Special[1] and opening episode of season one of Doctor Who[2] broadcast on 25 December 2023.[1][2]

It was the first full episode to feature the Fifteenth Doctor, as played by Ncuti Gatwa, and introduce audiences to Ruby Sunday, the new companion, played by Millie Gibson, concluding the sixtieth anniversary year with the start of a brand new era, officialising the reboot of the series number.[2]

This is the second time since the 2005 relaunch of Doctor Who that a Doctor's first full post-regeneration story was a Christmas Special, following the Tenth Doctor in that year's The Christmas Invasion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"].

The story marked the return of the Christmas Specials to televised Doctor Who, having been absent since 2017's Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"].

Synopsis

Long ago on Christmas Eve, a baby was abandoned in the snow. Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, stolen babies, goblins and perhaps the secret of her birth...

Plot

On Christmas Eve 2004, a baby girl was dropped off at a church on Ruby Road. Leaving as quickly as she arrived, the mother departed - nobody seeing who she was. This is witnessed by the Fifteenth Doctor, with tears streaming down his face.

On 1 December 2023, a series of accidents — caused by tiny, unseen creatures — plagues the set of that girl, Ruby Sunday's, interview with Davina McCall for a television show. Davina is offering to help her find her birth parents or someone else in her family if possible by attempting to match a DNA sample from Ruby against various databases. As Davina tells Ruby that she does need to be realistic about the situation, a chain of falling, heavy studio lights nearly crash into Ruby, ending the interview early.

Three weeks later Ruby plays a small gig with her band, a small electrical mishap interrupting their performance as the Doctor watches on from the outskirts of the pub. The next day she encounters him at a club, dancing one floor below her, before turning around and seeing him catch a glass of water that she knocks over when it's not quite where she left it. He asks Ruby if she normally has bad luck, and she says that it's been happening for a while now. He departs, but follows her as she gets into a taxi. A Christmas snowman decoration hanging from a nearby building poised to fall on the taxi. Using his sonic screwdriver he changes the light at the intersection, prompting the taxi to drive on, just as the decoration collapses onto him.

The next day, Christmas Eve, Ruby returns to her home, a flat in 3 Minto Road, to see that her foster mother Carla Sunday is fostering another newborn this holiday, a little baby named Lulubelle. Carla leaves Lulu in Ruby's care as she leaves to the store. As she walks out, Davina McCall calls Ruby, and sadly informs her that they were unable to find any trace of anyone related to her. Ruby is saddened by this news, but accepts it. Davina then changes the subject - has Ruby been having any bad luck? Davina's been having the worst rash of it, including falling off a boat on dry land, and thinks it started when she talked to Ruby. Davina, who is stuck in a wheelchair due to her numerous injuries, talks about how terrified she is as a nearby Christmas tree topples over on her, with the star heading directly for her head, and her phone cuts out.

Ruby hears noises over the baby monitor and heads into the other room where she finds the crib empty and a photograph of a goblin resting underneath. She chases after the culprits out the skylight and finds goblins nestling Lulubelle in a basket dropped down from above, a long ladder reaching up into the sky adjacent. The goblins scamper up as the basket is pulled up and the ladder begins to retract, prompting Ruby to jump on as it drifts away from her apartment. The Doctor yells after her as he bounds along the rooftop and jumps onto the ladder as well. As the ladder retracts further the pair have difficulty holding on, so the Doctor pulls out a set of intelligent gloves, gloves that takes care of all of the friction and mavitational force that normally exist when climbing and transfer them all into the glove itself, away from the body. The pair are effortlessly pulled up with the rest of the ladder into a flying ship where they promptly encounter a small horde of goblins that capture them and tie them up.

The Doctor begins to decipher the goings on of the goblins, chance, luck, coincidence. He's not altogether clear on everything, but he's deducing that they are using luck to stitch Ruby into time ever so slightly more, make her more real, and then use the similarities between her and Lulubelle as seasoning for when they eat the latter. He manages to untie them both, but is unable at first to escape the room - everything is built with wood and rope, his sonic isn't effective on it. But after spending a small amount of time with the rigging he likens it to wires and circuitry, untying knots as one would flip switches, triggering the right one to get them out of the room they were in and into a crawlspace above.

Lulubelle moves along a conveyor belt as the goblins sing about how their king is going to devour her, the Doctor and Ruby crawling above and watching in horrified fascination as they frantically try to untie the right ropes. The Doctor makes a mistake, however, and causes himself and Ruby to fall on the conveyor themselves. The two grab the baby as the ropes above them continue to unravel, don their intelligent gloves and set them to reverse, taking a line of rigging and using it to descend back to the ground.

Escaping from the goblin horde, the Doctor and Ruby return to the flat, baby safely recovered. Thinking about accidents and bad luck, they dash around the apartment to goblin-proof it. Carla returns, and as the Doctor introduces himself she acts concerned, not sure why they need a doctor. Frustrated, and trying to change the subject, Ruby tells Carla how the show called and they were unable to locate any of her family. The group mentions orphans and foundlings, and how the Doctor is one as well, which Carla notes as a coincidence, and as discussion turns back to coincidences over and over the house shakes and shakes until the roof cracks in two, the Goblins having left.

The Doctor then looks around, Ruby has vanished. He dashes around the flat and outside looking for her, asking Carla and others, none of them having heard of her. He takes a deeper look around the flat and it is a far drearier place with no Christmas decorations, no pictures of Ruby or any other foster children. Carla is also far different; unhappy with her lot in life, resentful of having to take in Lulubelle on Christmas Eve and having fostered far fewer children (having done so only for the money). The Doctor, brought to tears at witnessing these changes, dashes outside and into his TARDIS, dematerializing in front of Mrs Flood as he travels back to the night when Ruby is abandoned at the church.

In the snowy night, the Doctor sees the figure of Ruby's mother walking away, but he ignores her as he rushes towards the building. He chases after the goblin scaling the church with little Ruby, grabbing onto the ladder at the last second. The Doctor uses his intelligent gloves in reverse mode to pull the ship downwards, bit by bit, but finds it too slow to make a difference. In a last ditch effort, he jumps off the roof, pulling the ship down with him and impaling the Goblin King's stomach with the steeple, killing it. The ship and all in it vanish (i.e. erased from existence) as the timeline is restored, and the Doctor catches baby Ruby as she falls from the ship and places her once again on the church's doorstep. Back at the TARDIS, the Doctor sees Ruby's mother in the distance, but does not go after her.

The Doctor returns to 2023 and rushes up to Ruby's flat to find her safe and sound, babbling about how they went back to take her so he had to go back. He then mentions that he forgot something else and dashes off again, running into his TARDIS again as Mrs Flood watches from her front yard. The Doctor travels back to when Davina McCall was about to have a Christmas tree fall on her and catches it, telling her "Merry Christmas". Davina tells the Doctor he saved her life.

The Doctor returns once more to the present day but thinks better of it, feeling that he might be the one who brought bad luck to Ruby and her family. Ruby and Carla talk about the Doctor, Carla just finding him crazy, Ruby trying to contextualize the day she's just had. It dawns on Ruby that he's a time traveller, and she kisses her foster mother and dashes out of the door. Looking around on the street, she asks Mrs Flood if she's seen him, and Mrs Flood points to the TARDIS over the road. Ruby enters it after a wish of luck from Mrs Flood to find the Doctor leaning on the railing in the console room, ready to welcome her aboard.

As the TARDIS dematerializes, another one of Ruby's neighbours comes up to Mrs Flood and panics about how a box has just vanished in front of them. She tells him to stop making such a fuss and then, as he walks away, asks the audience "Never seen a TARDIS before?"

Cast

Uncredited cast

Crew

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


Worldbuilding

Ruby Sunday

The Doctor

  • At the nightclub, the Doctor is wearing a kilt and very briefly dances with a man.
  • The Doctor has invented "intelligent gloves" because he spends a lot of time hanging off things. These need to be recharged after usage.
  • The Doctor jokes he wishes he was called Lulubelle because it is a brilliant name.
  • The Doctor quickly learns the language of the Goblins, and he already knows how to "speak" the rope language.
  • The Doctor has once spend a "long, hot summer" with Harry Houdini, who taught the Doctor how to untie himself.
  • The Doctor demonstrates his singing abilities.

London

  • VOSS is an estate agency, with available properties around London.
  • James Howell & Co. Ltd. is the department store that the giant snowman is attached to.

Notting Hill

Notes

"Season's Streamings" promo image providing the story's title.[1]
  • The title of the story was officially announced by the official Disney+ Twitter account in a "Season's Streamings" promotional image on 6 November 2023,[1] ahead of any BBC announcements.
    • This marks the return of the Christmas Specials; in the instalment of Russell T Davies's column Letter from the Showrunner printed in DWM 585, Davies had stated that a "Christmas Special" would be returning as the format of the first full episode of the Fifteenth Doctor's tenure, although clarifying that he considered the term to be synonymous with the Festive Specials. The Disney+ announcement clarified that The Church on Ruby Road will be a traditional Christmas Special.
    • The first BBC acknowledgement of the title came in a press release on doctorwho.tv on 30 November 2023, revealing minor plot and casting details.[5]
  • The preview of this episode released in DWM 598 revealed a teaser of the plot and a snippet of dialogue between the Doctor and Ruby.[6]
  • The non-fiction feature The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (feature)"] — published in Doctor Who The Official Annual 2024 on 7 September 2023 — teased the casting of Dobson and Greenidge; the feature also hinted that the doors in the promotional images may have significance.
  • This is the first time in the revived series that a Doctor's first Christmas special does not include "Christmas" in the title, following The Christmas Invasion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"], A Christmas Carol [+]Loading...["A Christmas Carol (TV story)"], and Last Christmas [+]Loading...["Last Christmas (TV story)"].
  • At sixteen days, this marks the third shortest gap between a regeneration story and its followup, behind The Power of the Daleks [+]Loading...["The Power of the Daleks (TV story)"] at seven days and The Twin Dilemma [+]Loading...["The Twin Dilemma (TV story)"] at six days.
  • "The Goblin Song" is an original song for this episode. It was released ahead of the episode on 11 December 2023 with proceeds going to Children in Need.[8]
  • Davies felt inspired by the door opened by the inclusion of the Toymaker in the preceding episode The Giggle [+]Loading...["The Giggle (TV story)"] — as he deemed the Toymaker to be a fantasy character — so decided to include goblins, a traditional element of fantasy stories. He also sent the script to former showrunner Steven Moffat, who had a surprised realisation about the unused potential of the species within Doctor Who.[6]
  • This is the first episode that does not credit a white male performer as a regular cast member. Although William Hartnell was absent from Mission to the Unknown, he still received credit for contractual reasons.
  • This is the first episode since Village of the Angels [+]Loading...["Village of the Angels (TV story)"] to include a mid-credits scene, and the first Christmas special since Last Christmas [+]Loading...["Last Christmas (TV story)"] to include one too.
  • Although unremarked upon in the episode, the television series Davina McCall hosts is seemingly Long Lost Family, a television series McCall hosts in real life.
  • While not confirmed to be the same location in-universe, the building in which the falling snowman decoration was attached to was also seen in Rose [+]Loading...["Rose (TV story)"] as Henrik's department store.
  • The scene where the Doctor interacts with a policeman was the result of a suggestion by Disney, who felt that the Doctor needed more screen time early on in the episode.

Comparison between BBC and Disney+ versions

There are slight differences between the version broadcast on BBC One and the one shown on Disney+:

  • The Whoniverse ident was shown at the beginning of the episode on the BBC version. However, on the Disney+ version, the BBC ident was shown.
  • The Disney ident was shown at the end of the episode on the Disney+ version.
  • Following the TARDIS reveal scene, in the BBC version the Cast credits appears, followed by the mid-credits scene and then the rest of the end credits roll. In the Disney+ version a short teaser is shown after the TARDIS reveal scene which is then followed by the mid-credits scene and then the full end credits roll.

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

Ratings

  • 4.73 million viewers. (UK overnight)[15]
  • 7.30 million (UK final).[16]

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • The letters of the names in the title sequence for both Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson do not render behind the TARDIS as it spins past, and instead appear to pop up after the TARDIS has passed. In the case of Gibson's credit, this issue only affects her last name.
  • At the end, when Ruby turns and sees the TARDIS after talking to Mrs Flood, the stone street sign next to her head reads Frederick Place, the real world street where the outdoor scenes were filmed, rather than Minto Road like other signage, which was the street in-universe.
  • When Ruby enters the TARDIS for the second time and turns around to see the Doctor, the set clearly changed to the TARDIS interior set.

Continuity

  • Ruby Sunday was first mentioned in the short story First Day of the Doctor [+]Loading...["First Day of the Doctor (short story)"], a story which contained a snippet of the Fifteenth Doctor's diary.
  • This is not the first story to depict a companion written by Russell T Davies being part of a band; Mickey Smith was part of the band No Hot Ashes, as revealed in his novelisation [+]Loading...{"noital":"1","1":"Rose (novelisation)","2":"novelisation"} of Rose [+]Loading...["Rose (TV story)"], although this connection was not present in the original episode.
  • The Doctor is shown using psychic paper, which debuted in The End of the World [+]Loading...["The End of the World (TV story)"], and a new sonic screwdriver, which debuted in The World Tree [+]Loading...["The World Tree (audio story)"].
  • The Doctor visited a nightclub before during the events of TV: The War Machines [+]Loading...["The War Machines (TV story)"].
  • Ruby remarks that the Doctor appears to move so fast that he has teleported. The Twelfth Doctor similarly displayed a seemingly magical ability to teleport, as seen in TV: Listen [+]Loading...["Listen (TV story)"].
  • This story marks the first time the Doctor is seen wearing his new clothes, as he only wore part of the Fourteenth Doctor's clothing earlier when last seen in The Giggle [+]Loading...["The Giggle (TV story)"].
  • The Doctor recalls how he is still learning the "new science" that Ruby claims is magic, recalling how the Fourteenth Doctor accidentally made previously mythical occurrences and creatures, like the goblin's existence and ability to time travel, possible when he cast a superstition at the edge of the universe during the events of TV: Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"].
  • This episode continues the usage of "mavity", the new name for gravity after time was inadvertently altered, which began in the pre-titles scene in Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"].
  • The Fifteenth Doctor states that he created intelligent gloves to transfer his mass into the glove to prevent friction on his hands that was caused by mavitational pull when dangling in the air. Rose Tyler was a prime example of this occurring, with her hands suffering severe friction burns when suspended above London during the Blitz during World War II in TV: The Empty Child [+]Loading...["The Empty Child (TV story)"].
  • Upon Ruby revealing she was abandoned as a baby, therefore not knowing her biological parents, the Doctor mentions learning he was abandoned, as shown in TV: The Timeless Children [+]Loading...["The Timeless Children (TV story)"]. He remarks that he was also adopted, indicating his connection to Tecteun, who was seen in Survivors of the Flux [+]Loading...["Survivors of the Flux (TV story)"].
  • Minto Road isn't original to this episode, as it was first mentioned by Mickey Smith in 2005's The Parting of the Ways [+]Loading...["The Parting of the Ways (TV story)"]. The pizza place mentioned by Mickey in that episode is even indirectly seen, as Cherry has a flyer for it on her fridge, which names it Minto Pizza Alla Pala.
  • On the same fridge, there is a business card for Crossgate Cabs. This fictional taxi service was first seen in The Sound of Drums [+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"].
  • The Doctor once again mentions meeting Harry Houdini, having claimed to have met and learned escapology from him before in TV: The Highlanders [+]Loading...["The Highlanders (TV story)"], Planet of the Spiders [+]Loading...["Planet of the Spiders (TV story)"], Revenge of the Cybermen [+]Loading...["Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)"], Planet of the Ood [+]Loading...["Planet of the Ood (TV story)"] and The Witchfinders [+]Loading...["The Witchfinders (TV story)"]. Houdini has helped him escape from places before, as seen in AUDIO: Harry Houdini's War [+]Loading...["Harry Houdini's War (audio story)"] and Smoke and Mirrors [+]Loading...["Smoke and Mirrors (audio story)"].
  • Ruby is erased from reality shortly after cracks form along the Sunday family's apartment. Cracks have previously been a sign of an individual's erasure from history, as seen in TV: The Eleventh Hour [+]Loading...["The Eleventh Hour (TV story)"], Flesh and Stone [+]Loading...["Flesh and Stone (TV story)"] and The Big Bang [+]Loading...["The Big Bang (TV story)"].
  • After Ruby is erased from reality, the Doctor displays an ability to remember her despite others seemingly forgetting her. The Eleventh Doctor displayed this ability when Rory Williams was erased from existence in TV: Cold Blood [+]Loading...["Cold Blood (TV story)"]. He once remarked this was because he was a complicated space time event that granted him unique immunity to such effects so long as it did not affect his own timeline in TV: Flesh and Stone [+]Loading...["Flesh and Stone (TV story)"].
  • Carla cries when the Doctor tries to make her remember Ruby; Amy Pond also forgot Rory, but still had a residual awareness of him that caused her to cry upon the Doctor and Rory's Auton form pointing it out to her as displayed in TV: The Pandorica Opens [+]Loading...["The Pandorica Opens (TV story)"].

Home media releases

to be added

Gallery

Main article: The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)/Gallery

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 @DisneyPlus on twitter.com
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Church on Ruby Road on doctorwho.tv
  3. ↑ https://bleedingcool.com/tv/doctor-who-is-susan-twist-playing-the-same-secret-character/
  4. ↑ https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-christmas-2023-cast-characters/
  5. ↑ Doctor Who lands on Christmas Day 2023 with ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ on doctorwho.tv
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 DWM 598 - Preview of The Church on Ruby Road, Pages 18-19
  7. ↑ DWM 598 - Sunday Best, Page 32-34
  8. ↑ Doctor Who releases Christmas single, The Goblin Song on doctorwho.tv
  9. ↑ @russelltdavies63 on instagram.com
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Doctor Who filming in Frederick Place Bristol - pictures show the Tardis has arrived on bristolworld.com
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Russell T Davies talks “exciting” Doctor Who scenes as programme films in Bristol on cultbox.co.uk
  12. ↑ @BBCBristol on twitter.com
  13. ↑ Doctor Who in Bristol on google.com/maps
  14. ↑ DWM 598 - Alien Superstar
  15. ↑ Doctor Who ratings - overnight figures
  16. ↑ Doctor Who - final ratings in the UK
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