The Church on Ruby Road

"Have you been having any bad luck recently?"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 25 December 2023

Series: 2023 Christmas Special

Featuring: Fifteenth Doctor, Ruby

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.

Verdict

The Church on Ruby Road was a really fun festive episode to firmly kick off the era of the Fifteenth Doctor! It’s been a long time coming and one thing I am delighted about with the return of Russell T Davies as showrunner is that the Christmas Specials are back. It just feels right. Doctor Who is perfect for Christmas and whilst the New Year’s Day specials of the Chibnall era were all good, they never felt the same. This is tradition and long may it continue! I didn’t think the Christmas element of the episode overshadowed it too much and whilst we did get a lot more of the Fifteenth Doctor than bargained for in The Giggle, it was nice to get his first full outing here. I really enjoyed the approach of focusing on Ruby Sunday as the new companion and I suspect there will be a lot more information regarding her birth mother and her being left outside the titular church on Ruby Road. Whilst much of the episode was lighthearted and had a festive feel, I was really impressed with how the special set things up for the series to come. I am massively interested in finding out who Ruby’s mother is and that’s surely something that will play a role. Is it just me or were those boots and three quarter trousers a little bit like the Thirteenth Doctor? Now that would be something! I am really enjoying how whilst this is a whole new era, the Doctor is still adapting to the revelations of The Timeless Children and referencing how he recently found out he was adopted. That was fun continuity and I was glad to see it included. This is no hard reset. The introduction for Ruby was beautiful and she’s instantly a very likeable character. She’s perfect companion material and it’s clear she has an eye for the Doctor right away with how he was dancing in the club. This incarnation certainly knows how to express themselves! The moment they meet again with Ruby hanging from the ladder and the Doctor conversing with her as he runs from roof to roof was amusing and a fine moment for a new pairing that I get the feeling we’re going to love. The chemistry between them was instant and honestly at one point I thought they were going to get it on. There definitely seemed like some lust there! Ruby’s mother of Carla and grandmother of Cherry were really strong characters and the humour that came from the latter in particular was just wonderful. She just wanted a bloody cup of tea! She was delightful from the comfort of her own bed. Carla as a foster mum was also incredible and the scale of the images on her fridge for her supposed family was quite touching. An incredible and giving mother. The latest addition was Lullabelle which was a fun name that of course the Doctor liked whereas Carla and Ruby thought it questionable. Ruby was tasked with one rule of not losing the baby when Carla had to pop out, so of course some Goblins would come and take it for their Goblin King to feast upon. The Goblins were a fun element of the episode if not a little silly. They didn’t get overbearing by any stretch but they were a little difficult to take seriously. The Goblin Song was a great publicity stunt for the episode and it’s certainly catchy! I did love when the Doctor and Ruby put their own words to it though and I just get the feeling they’re going to be a joyous pair. They both nailed the lyrics! The new addition of the gloves that take the weight also felt a bit like cheating and I’ve never known the Doctor to actually have any issues with hanging on, but it worked relatively well in bringing an end to the Goblin King thanks to the church spire. That was pretty emphatic! I did love the cheek of the Goblins in going back in time and taking Ruby before she was found by the church and then adopted, with the timeline in play there very different! Ruby’s moment of realisation that the Doctor could travel in time was spectacular and I absolutely loved her TARDIS moment of walking around the police box. She’s going to be tremendous! Overall, a strong start to the era. 

Rating: 8/10