The Church on Ruby Road

304 – "The Church on Ruby Road"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster
Cast
Others
  • Davina McCall – Herself
  • Bobby Bradley – Denzel
  • Mary Malone – Trudy
  • Anita Dobson – Mrs Flood
  • Hemi Yeroham – Abdul
  • Michelle Greenidge – Carla Sunday
  • Angela Wynter – Cherry Sunday
  • Gemma Arrowsmith – Ruth Lyons
  • Rachelle Beinart, Jess Judge, Dilu Miah, Giuseppe Lentini, Andrew Francis, Lukas Disparrow – Goblins
  • Susan Twist – Heckler (uncredited)[1]
Production
Directed byMark Tonderai
Written byRussell T Davies
Script editorScott Handcock
Produced byChris May
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
Running time55 minutes
First broadcast25 December 2023 (2023-12-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"The Giggle"
Followed by →
"Space Babies"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Church on Ruby Road" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2023 as the fourteenth Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It is the first Christmas special since "Twice Upon a Time" (2017) after which the show transitioned to New Year's specials. Ncuti Gatwa makes his first regular appearance as the Fifteenth Doctor and the episode introduces Millie Gibson as his companion Ruby Sunday.

The story focuses on the Doctor meeting orphan Ruby Sunday, who was abandoned at a church on Ruby Road, hence her name, and her plight to find her birth parents. Following an interview with Davina McCall (playing a fictional version of herself), the two begin experiencing bad luck wherever they go, because of the antics of goblins, who eventually kidnap a new foster baby.

"The Church on Ruby Road" was filmed along with the fourteenth series with production on the special taking place across Wales in January and February 2023. It was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Mark Tonderai.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Susan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).