Doctor Who boss on season 14: "We come back to that church"
Russell T Davies hints at how upcoming episodes will delve into Ruby Sunday's backstory.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has hinted that a sequence from the show's 2023 Christmas special will be revisited in future episodes – and there may be more to the scene than first meets the eye.
Festive episode The Church on Ruby Road took us back to when Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) was an infant, abandoned on the steps of a church by a mysterious hooded figure.
Ruby was briefly removed from history when a horde of time-travelling goblins snatched her up as a baby, but the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) was able to follow them back in time and rescue the child Ruby.
However, that won't be the last time we visit the church, as Davies revealed when discussing previous and future Doctor Who Christmas episodes.
"They're always different every year," he said. "This one's quite a fable – the foundling on the church doorstep in the snow...
"That story then continues into the series – we come back to that church. There's all sorts of things... there were people in those scenes you don't know were there. There's a lot more to come."
Who else was lurking, out of sight, at the church? And who exactly is the hooded individual who abandoned Ruby? Could the mysterious Mrs Flood – who seems to know all about time travel – be involved?
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Michelle Greenidge – who plays Ruby's adoptive mother Carla Sunday – has hinted that fans 'aren't ready' for the twists and turns to come in the next season.
"I don't think the audience are going to be ready," she said. "It is incredible. The story arc, the writing... you'll be gripped. I'm so ecstatic with how things have played out."
Guests star including Aneurin Barnard, Indira Varma, Lenny Rush and Jonathan Groff will join leads Gatwa and Gibson for the new episodes.
Davies has also revealed that an upcoming story will feature the Beatles as characters.
Read more:
- Doctor Who's Millie Gibson says watching Ncuti Gatwa scene made her cry
- Doctor Who boss promises "big battle" at Abbey Road in Beatles episode
Doctor Who will return in 2024 – previous episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
