Doctor Who Christmas Special Review: The Church on Ruby Road

After 6 years, the Doctor Who Christmas specials are finally back!

This is a review for the Christmas special of Doctor Who, titled “The Church on Ruby Road”, from BBC Studios and Bad Wolf Productions. Directed by Mark Tonderai and written by Russell T. Davies.

In this special; Ncuti Gatwa returns as the Fifteenth Doctor, since bi-generating with David Tennant’s Doctor, from the third anniversary episode: “The Giggle“.

Millie Gibson is also introduced as the new companion character; Ruby Sunday.

Official synopsis

Long ago, on Christmas Eve, a baby was abandoned in the snow. Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, goblins, stolen babies, and perhaps the secret of her birth.

Review

This was a great start for Ncuti Gatwa being in his own episode as the Doctor. It was a fun 55-minute special, especially with seeing both Ncuti and Millie interact on-screen for the first time.

The Church on Ruby Road’s plot is mostly direct and straightforward, with how the synopsis been set out, and there’s a great deal of mystery surrounding the new companion, which still needs more room to unfold into the new series.

This special leans further into the fantasy adventure genre, while also being overlayed with fresh and existing sci-fi elements of the show.

Ncuti Gatwa is very expressive and energetic as the titular role… giving off a mash-up between contemporary and classic 1970s vibes, with his fashion choices.

The closest comparison to Ncuti’s performance and atmosphere of the show would probably be during Matt Smith’s era with Clara, combined with an inkling of YA content.

I do currently like this version of The Doctor so far, although the Sky remote-looking Sonic device is an odd design choice, therefore it may take me some time getting use to it, during the next series.

As the title of the special indicates, there’s a lot of focus on Ruby Sunday, and Millie Gibson gets plenty of screentime here. Millie is a delight and upbeat in the role, certainly making a great first impression, with an interesting story to get invested in.

One of the best parts of this Christmas special and the rest of the 2023 Whoniverse content, has been about the production values.

A refreshing look for the cinematagrophy that’s been consistent, as well as a higher budget that’s been applied to digital aspects, practical sets, costumes and prosthetics; in particular; the Goblins for this episode, which look creepy, yet well-made.

It’s quite a thinner involvement for the antagonists again during these specials; who are the mischievous and evil goblins. They seemed to have just about a little bit more to do than Meep from The Star Beast.

There’s also two musical segments in this; first one that I can discuss here, which has already been released so far called ‘The Goblin Song‘ performed by Christina Rotondo and written by Murray Gold.

It’s the first time that I’ve heard this artist sing, and Christina Rotondo is a strong vocalist! The lyrics are intentionally strange, yet works fairly well within the context of these Goblin scenes.

The Goblin Song is currently succeeding in the UK official single sales chart at a peak position of 12. The second segment, I think it will take viewers by surprise!

Besides the musical segments, there are other scores composed by Murray Gold, which are beautifully woven into scenes, including bold and heroic themes, as well as festive, wondrous and melancholic themes. In particular, Ruby’s theme; The Life of Sunday, is one of my favourites

Final thoughts

Embracing a sillier side of Doctor Who works well for the fun novelty elements of a Christmas special and the pacing is just right. There’s also a lot of heart put into this storyline, and the overall narrative of abandonement echoes throughout.

I can’t wait to see what adventures The Doctor and Ruby Sunday get up to next time during season 1, in 2024.

When does the Doctor Who Christmas special release?

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road airs on BBC One and releases on BBC iPlayer at 5:55 PM GMT, on Christmas Day (December 25, 2023).

The Christmas special will also be releasing on Disney+, on Christmas Day, outside of the UK and Ireland, with the time for the US being 12:55 PM ET/9:55 AM PT.