Doctor Who Christmas special 2023 review: "Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson make the perfect pairing for a new era"
Dec. 12, 2023The Church On Ruby Road is not only a perfect Christmas adventure, it’s the most promising start to a new Doctor Who era yet.
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The following review is spoiler-free.
You’ve heard ‘The Goblin Song’, but does the Doctor Who Christmas special deliver? Frankly it’s the best thing you’ll see on television this festive season.
Showrunner Russell T Davies has previously said that this episode, The Church on Ruby Road, isa reset for the 60-year-old show. So much so that it’s being called season one, with new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa and companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson beginning the legend anew.
That’s exactly what happens for Ruby, a foundling trying to reconnect with her birth parents via Davina McCall’s TV show. But Ruby’s plagued with bad luck – which comes to a head when the baby she’s watching for her foster mother mysteriously disappears.
It’s no secret who’s behind it all – they’ve already topped the iTunes chart with their ditty about eating poor little Lulubelle, but exactly what the goblins are up to and why is a treat best enjoyed on Christmas Day.
This is Doctor Who meetsGremlins, with lashings of snow and Carol of the Bells – with some fantastic stunts and special effects making it once again feel like a feature film. The music is sweeping, the jokes are plentiful, the teases of what’s to come are tremendous. In short, it’s a win.
Gibson is a joy as Ruby – she’s Rose 2.0 (or is that now 3.0?) in that she’s got everything a classic companion should have and you immediately fall in love with her.
Gatwa is spectacular as the Doctor. There’s no baggage here, just style and comedy and smarts in abundant supply. The chemistry between the pair is instant and brilliant – the perfect pairing for a new era.
The supporting cast are also excellent, with equal parts comedy and tragedy from Michelle Greenidge and Angela Wynter as Ruby’s mum Carla and grandmother Cherry. Anita Dobson’s nosey neighbour Mrs Flood is great fun, sitting on her doorstep watching the world go by.
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I’m the Editor of SFX, the world’s number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – available digitally and in print every four weeks since 1995. I’ve been editing magazines, and writing for numerous publications since before the Time War. Obviously SFX is the best one. I knew being a geek would work out fine.
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