Feature Story
No matter the healthcare system to which you ascribe, there is one doctor who never fails to make house calls. “Who?” you may ask, and you’d be right.
“Doctor Who” has been making a comeback this holiday season, but one special Christmas Day event shows the Doctor as you’ve never seen him before. Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), the first Black actor to portray the infamous alien Time Lord, steps into the role of the Fifteenth Doctor when “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road” premieres Monday, Dec. 25, on Disney+.
The perfect end to a series of fun new “Doctor Who” specials released on Disney+ in honor of the sci-fi series’ 60th anniversary, “The Church on Ruby Road” is special not just because it is the first special to feature Gatwa in the role, but also because the special is the first to be released on Christmas Day since 2017’s “Twice Upon a Time,” Peter Capaldi’s (“The Thick of It”) last appearance as the Doctor.
While the Doctor(s) didn’t exactly take the holidays off over the past six years — there had been a shift to New Year’sthemed television events during that time — the return to Christmas Day programming is a welcome return to tradition for many.
“Doctor Who” is one of the most enduring series of our time, uniting Whovians from around the world and dividing them just as easily depending on proclaimed favorite Doctors or series. The sci-fi show, recognized largely by nonWhovians for its massive blue TARDIS and scarf-wearing Brit, began on BBC in 1963. Spanning nearly 900 episodes (97 of which are lost to time), the easiest way to track the series’ progression is in two parts: 1963 to 1989 (26 seasons) and 2005 to present (13 seasons). Between both collections, there have been 14 — and as of this special, 15 — Doctors.
Of these Time Lords, just one had been a woman/female presenting person (Jodie Whittaker, “Broadchurch”), and all — until now — have been white. Before Gatwa steps into the role, however, the Fourteenth Doctor, played by David Tennant (“Good Omens”), lives out his last few specials in the role on Disney+.
Released Nov. 25, “The Star Beast” follows the Doctor and associates as a spaceship drops into London city center and a battle breaks out, posing particular issues for Donna (Catherine Tate, the U.K.’s “The Office”). Later, Donna and the Doctor returned for “Wild Blue Yonder” (released Dec. 5) and “The Giggle” (released Dec. 9), the latter of which stars Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) as the Celestial Toymaker, the key figure behind a puppet whose laugh has been driving the human race to the brink of insanity. But as the fourth “Doctor Who” special is released this holiday season, everything changes.
In “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road” (released Dec. 25), Gatwa begins a new era. Like the 2005 decision to reboot the sci-fi action dramedy, writer and showrunner Russell T. Davies (“Torchwood”) announced to SFX Magazine, “We’re calling it Season 1.” And thus, another generation of “Doctor Who” begins, this time with Disney+ behind it (but don’t worry, BBC is still the series’ leading network).
Not only does this new Season 1 introduce Gatwa in the coveted role, it also brings audiences his companion, the strong-yet-sweet Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson (“Jamie Johnson”). And while Gibson has earned ample experience with a longrunning British series during her 172-episode run as Kelly Neelan on “Coronation Street,” she has clearly stated that she hopes to do Whovians proud through her hard work and appreciation.
“Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honored to be cast as the Doctor’s companion,” Gibson said while discussing her new duties. “It is a gift of a role and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have traveled in before me. What better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa’s side? I just can’t wait to get started.”
For Gatwa, the connection between him and Gibson has been there from the very start — a great sign for the chemistry between the two in the show’s newest iteration.