The Doctor can be many things. They can change race, gender, age and even be from Salford, but one thing has to remain for each version to be convincing. They have to be so charismatic that their companion would undoubtedly leave their life behind to follow them through space and time. Now, with the Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa perfectly cast in the role, not only does it make complete sense for young Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) to race straight into the Tardis, but it’s hard not to make a run at the telly and beg him to take you, too.
He was briefly introduced at the end of the 60th anniversary special where David Tennant’s Doctor “bi-generated” and Gatwa stepped out of his predecessor wearing just a shirt and a grin. This Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, sees the Fifteenth Doctor in full lead mode, taking on carnivorous baby-snatching goblins with Sunday at his side.
Sunday made a less auspicious entry into the world, and we meet her on the day of her birth, as a narrator explains: “Late on Christmas Eve, a stranger came to the church on Ruby Road. She carried in her arms the most precious gift of all, a newborn child, a baby girl. Just before midnight she left her daughter on the steps of the church.” Her mother then walked off into the night, never to be seen again until “a time traveller came to call”. Nineteen years later, Ruby has lived a relatively happy life and is adored by her adoptive family, but she still has questions and has recruited Davina McCall (playing herself in her Long Lost Family TV presenter role) to help her track down her birth parents.
Unfortunately for both McCall and Sunday, this attracts the attention of some mischievous goblins, and they find themselves getting into increasingly dangerous accidents ranging from spilt G&Ts to moose attacks. The accidents themselves are pretty fun, with a series of Final Destination-style misfortunes that repurpose Christmas decorations as deadly weapons. Unveiling the culprits behind them takes a little wind out of the show’s sails, and the plethora of CGI nasties don’t leave much of an impression.
But the sharp-toothed goblins (who have a Christmas single out) are really just a means to set up this new era and find the Doctor a companion. Sunday first sees him in a nightclub twirling in a kilt and vest to Touch by Hybrid Minds, with the dance moves and raw magnetism that leaves her (us) weak at the knees. He saunters over, all poreless skin, wide grin and huge puppy dog eyes, and when she calls herself clumsy, delivers a buttery “No you’re not – it’s worse than that” with such preternatural smoothness that Sunday barely registers that the Doctor just delivered her bad news.
What happens, diminutive carnivores aside, is a series of MacGuffins that provide our new pairing with opportunities to bond. They find a connection in their childhood (something the Doctor has been grappling with since an encounter with the Master saw him stare into a time vortex and confront his forgotten formative years), a sense of displacement in the world, and an appetite for adventure. The two leads are styled with serious aplomb, with a slight 70s vibe and a shared penchant for well-tailored leather jackets. The Fifteenth signature style hasn’t quite been established (I vote for the kilt), but the wardrobe team seem to be having a whale of a time with a more colourful and dynamic attire than his predecessors’. What is slightly worrying is the regular falling back on the narrative crutch of the sonic screwdriver (which, for some reason, now looks like a small shoe). Even though it has become nearly as iconic a presence as the Tardis, the pocket-sized deus ex machina tends to bring the plot and action sequences to abrupt halts. But The Church on Ruby Road has all the hallmarks of a classic yuletide Doctor Who adventure: sweet, quick-witted and exhilarating fun.
It also compounds the welcome return of Russell T Davies, who, after the well-received 60th-anniversary specials, continues as showrunner. Davies’ love for the character and understanding of what audiences want from the programme made his previous run from 2005-2010 among the show’s most beloved. And now, as a Christmas treat for all of us, a delightful new era captained by Davies and Gatwa seems certain. When Sunday asks the Fifteenth incarnation, “Who are you?” and he stares down the camera to deliver a self-assured “I’m the Doctor”, it hits like a shot of pure dopamine because … he really is – and he’s a joy to watch.
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road aired on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.
