Summary
The Fifteenth Doctor is set to take full charge of the TARDIS for 2023’sDoctor Whofestive special, and excitement levels couldn’t be higher. Through November and December, the longest-running sci-fi show on the planet celebrated its 60th birthday with three specials. That celebration recaptured one of the greatest Doctor-companion partnerships of the show’s modern era (from 2005), as David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor reteamed with Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble.
How & When To Watch the Christmas Special: The Church On Ruby Road
The Church on Ruby RoadmarksDoctor Who’s return to Christmas Day for the first time since 2017. During the Thirteenth Doctor’s years, the show switched to New Year’s Day specials, breaking the new tradition of robot alien Santas, spinning Christmas trees, and futuristic Christmas Carols that had run since David Tennant’s debut in 2005.
Doctor Whoruled Christmas for years, but the first Tenth Doctor story,The Christmas Invasion,remained the only time a Doctor had debuted on Christmas Day untilThe Church on Ruby Road. If reasons to get excited weren’t already piling up, thepartnership between the BBC and Disneymeans fans across the globe can experience the Doctor and Ruby’s first adventure at the same time.
The festive special will be available on Disney Plus worldwide on Christmas Day, meaning fans in the U.S. can catch the show at the same time as it’s broadcast on BBC One in the UK.
Watch Special 4: The Church on Ruby Road on December 25 on Disney Plus
What Is The Doctor Who Christmas Special?
The new hour-long specialThe Church on Ruby Roadstarts a new era, as the Fifteenth Doctor, (Ncuti Gatwa) meets new companion Ruby Sunday (Mollie Gibson) for brand new adventures in time and space. Much remains under wraps ahead of broadcast, and not just because it’s the holidays. However, fans have had more to pore over than the secretive sixtieth specials served up before they were screened.
As the title hints, the new special will center on the Doctor’s new companion. Viewers will meet Ruby Sunday as she is searching for answers. Why was she found in the snow as a baby one Christmas Eve, and why has she been dogged with bad luck ever since? Fans can only hope that a chance (or not-so-chance) meeting with the Doctor will bring her answers. Along with the church of the title, Ruby’s family is set to play a significant part in the Christmas special and series to follow. Michelle Greenidge and Angela Wynter have been cast as the new companions’ mother and grandmother, Carla and Cherry.
Showrunner and lead writer Russell T Davies created theDoctor WhoChristmas specials we all know back in 2005, insisting that these stories were packed with festive feels and even a magic dance or two. This time around, Davies has promised the story will open with a snow-covered church will open the episode, and the holiday touches won’t stop there.
Fans have already seen a glimpse of the special’s upcoming Christmas sing-along. A surprise song from the special was released two weeks before the broadcast.The Goblin Songsoared into the UK charts, earning a special message from the episode’s singing sensation Janis Goblin.
This may be the Doctor’s most musical moment yet. Davies has also confirmed more carols, including a creepy version of a classic, the introduction of Ruby’s band, and even the new Doctor hitting some notes.
What’s Next For Doctor Who?
The Church of Ruby Road isn’t just for this Christmas. The new era ofDoctor Whohas recommitted to the novelizations of television episodes that have been part of the show’s fabric for decades. Adaptations of all three anniversary specials, including the debut of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor inThe Giggle,are available early in 2024. Joining them is a novelization of the festive special by rising star Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson.
Pre-order Doctor Who: The Giggle novelization at Amazon
Pre-order The Church on Ruby Road audiobook on Audible
Fans won’t have to wait too much longer for more of the new TARDIS crew to take off across the universe. The new series (the 14th since the 2005 reboot and the show’s 40th series overall) was filmed between December 2022 and July 2023. The eight-part series will air sometime in 2024, with a date yet to be announced. All the Doctor and Ruby have to overcome is a ship full of Christmas goblins.
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