The Legend of Ruby Sunday (TV story)
The Legend of Ruby Sunday is be the seventh episode of Season 1 of Doctor Who.[1]
Synopsis
The Doctor and UNIT investigate Ruby's past. But as the Time Window reveals horrifying secrets from Christmas Eve, the mysterious Triad Technology unleash the greatest evil of all.[2]
Plot
In progress
In 2024, the TARDIS lands in UNIT Tower, the Doctor and Ruby stepping out to greet everyone assembled. Rose Noble, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and two new faces, Morris Gibbons, UNIT scientific advisor, and Harriet, head of the archive. The Doctor asks the assembled group for their help, wherever he lands a woman appears. Be her an ambulance, a communications officer, or someone’s mother, she just keeps showing up. The group immediately tabs over to a feed of the woman practicing a speech, they’ve already been keeping tabs on her. Susan Triad, owner of S Triad Technology, who plans on giving her tech away for free later today. The Doctor points out that “S Triad” is an anagram for TARDIS, and those assembled explain that this is part of why they’ve been keeping an eye on her. Ruby also points out that “Susan” is the name of the Doctor’s granddaughter. As the group discusses the issue, the solution of the Doctor just going to meet with Susan Triad is floated, he'd recognize her if it was his granddaughter, but everything lining up does suggest a decent likelihood of a trap.
The assembled group moves on - the Doctor discusses another mystery woman, Ruby’s mother. He can’t go back to the night where Ruby was left on the church’s doorstep, he was already there, and he can’t cross his own timeline. This night in particular is so volatile that it’s dangerous, whenever Ruby and the Doctor even discuss it, snow has the tendency to fall. Harriet thinks they’re overcomplicating the issue, this was 2004, CCTV existed. There was a camera nearby. But Ruby has the video tape, her and her grandmother asked for it years back, you can’t see anything. Morris suggests that due to UNIT’s technology they could sharpen the image and maybe see something new. Ruby and Rose head back to Ruby’s flat to get the tape.
As Ruby and Rose collect the video tape, Carla Sunday resolves to come with them back to UNIT tower, to make sure that Ruby is kept safe. She has Mrs. Flood come to watch over Cherry Sunday in her absence, who's happy to help. As Mrs. Flood is left alone with Cherry, Flood warns Cherry to be careful - a storm is coming in, he waits no more.
Susan Triad continues to rehearse her speech, nervous for the delivery in 90 minutes. Melanie Bush, who UNIT has snuck onto set as a consultant, manages to get a DNA sample from her and drives it back to UNIT HQ. The Doctor is thrilled to have Mel arrive, and his enthusiasm doesn't take much of a dent from the DNA sample she's brought back coming in as human, as almost immediately after Ruby and Rose return, Carla in tow. The Doctor decides not just to upscale the resolution on the VHS, but to use it in a time window to actually view that night in its entirety.
Heading down to the time window and meeting Colonel Winston Chidozie, who manages the security for the time window, they have Morris wire the VHS up to the window. Ruby joins the Doctor in the middle of the window's space, and she describes to him the story of how she was found. Snow falls, even before the window starts. The machine whirs to life, and a hologram of Christmas Eve, 2004 appears, the Carol of the Bells echoing. Kate is astonished to see the window performing as well as it is, but the Doctor says that they're giving it memory - time is memory, memory is time. A hooded figure, Ruby's mother, appears, and walks towards them. But as they try to peak under her hood the window stutters and she surges past them. The TARDIS arrives, the Doctor arrives, to save Ruby as he did in the past.
Cast
- The Doctor - Ncuti Gatwa
- Ruby Sunday - Millie Gibson
- Kate Lethbridge-Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
- Rose Noble - Yasmin Finney
- Colonel Ibrahim - Alexander Devrient
- Morris Gibbons - Lenny Rush
- Harriet Arbinger - Genesis Lynea
- The Vlinx - Aidan Cook
- Voice of the Vlinx - Nicholas Briggs
- Susan Triad - Susan Twist
- Bailey Sinclair - Fela Lufadeju
- Melanie Bush - Bonnie Langford
- Carla Sunday - Michelle Greenidge
- Mrs Flood - Anita Dobson
- Cherry Sunday - Angela Wynter
- Colonel Chidozie - Tachia Newall
- Voice of Sutekh - Gabriel Woolf
- Corporal Alice Sullivan - Jasmine Bayes
Crew
to be added
Worldbuilding
to be added
Notes
- The title of the episode was revealed on the official Doctor Who Twitter account on 31 March 2024.[1]
- In his Letter from the Showrunner column in DWM 584, Russell T Davies said the first line of the episode's script was "INT. COFFEE BAR, USA - DAY, 1947".[3]
- Davies told Radio Times that there were aspects of the story he had been "thinking of for 40 or 50 years".[4]
- On 22 May, UK cinematic screenings of this episode and Empire of Death were announced for the night of 21 and 22 June, with tickets going on sale on 23 May.[5]
Myths
to be added
Filming locations
to be added
Ratings
to be added
Production errors
to be added
Continuity
to be added
Home media releases
to be added
Gallery
- Main article: The Legend of Ruby Sunday (TV story)/Gallery
External links
- Official The Legend of Ruby Sunday page on doctorwho.tv
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 @bbcdoctorwho (2024-05-31). THE LEGEND OF RUBY SUNDAY
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Jamie Donoughue
#DoctorWho. Archived from the original on 2024-05-29. - ↑ Doctor Who, Season 1, The Legend of Ruby Sunday. bbc.co.uk. BBC. Archived from the original on 2024-06-05.
- ↑ DWM 584
- ↑ Morgan Jeffery (2024-04-30). Doctor Who boss says finale contains scenes he's been planning for 50 years. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-30.
- ↑ David Craig (2024-05-22). Doctor Who's final 2 episodes of season 14 to be screened in UK cinemas. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22.
