Doctor Who boss reveals Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor will 'open up' about long-lost family
"This emotional man I've been talking about opens up about his family in a way that he's never done before."
We're set to get even more insight into the Doctor's familial history in Ncuti Gatwa's new season of the hit sci-fi series.
Speaking about the upcoming episodes and how they will follow on from The Church on Ruby Road, showrunner Russell T Davies revealed: "We saw at Christmas, there is obviously a mystery to Ruby's birth family. She was a foundling left at a church. It is a fairy tale-like story, but it keeps following her.
"That story is not finished. Who is her mother? How can they possibly find out what went on? The way the Doctor ties into this is fascinating. This emotional man I've been talking about opens up about his family in a way that he's never done before."
Davies continued: "He left his family behind in 1963 and practically never mentioned it again. That's a man who doesn't know his family, and that is fascinating.
"So as his mind is focusing on that, Ruby's mind is focusing on her family. Those two stories come together in possibly the greatest finale ever committed to film, except we don't actually use film anymore! But it really is an astonishing climax.”
The Christmas 2023 episode marked the introduction of Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday and allowed viewers to get further insight into her personal life and family.
The episode saw the Doctor and Ruby form a bond over their own experiences of abandonment and being adopted by a new family.
The overarching plot was also a nod back to Chris Chibnall's The Timeless Children episode, which saw the Doctor finally learn the truth about the Timeless Child when held by the Master in the ruins of Gallifrey.
Read more:
- Doctor Who star Golda Rosheuvel on "crazy" Space Babies monster: 'There's a history to it'
- Doctor Who confirms Hannibal star and another Susan Twist role for Boom
Chatting previously to RadioTimes.com at the Doctor Who season 14 premiere, Davies said: "I think The Timeless Child doesn't mean anything to anyone, to a lot of viewers. Genuinely, to a few outside the show – what does that mean?
"But what it does mean is the Doctor's an orphan, he was abandoned, he was adopted by the Time Lords, so you play that for the emotions."
Davies added: "That's going to have a lot of ammunition and fuel going forward. Millie as Ruby Sunday, she was abandoned as a foundling on the church doorstep, so you have the Doctor and companion suddenly chiming with their lives and connecting."
With only a matter of days before the new season lands on our screens, all eyes are on Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the pair are set to take on some new villains and more mind-bending adventures.
The two-episode premiere will see the release of Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, while the third episode will be Boom, marking the return of former showrunner Steven Moffat as the episode writer.
Speaking about his return to the Whoniverse, Moffat said: "It's a collaboration of enthusiasm. What we're doing is giggling and laughing and shouting and bounding around the room about how clever and exciting all this is.
"If you're not doing that on a show like Doctor Who – or frankly any show – what's the point?"
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 11th May 2024.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
