Doctor Who is one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, debuting over 80 years ago. Tom Baker, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Jodie Whittaker and so many more fantastic actors have embodied the role of the time-travelling nomad, with Ncuti Gatwa currently bringing a youthful exuberance to the role that we haven’t seen for a long time. However, perhaps one of the only downsides to such a beloved show is the fact there are hundreds and hundreds of hours of historical lore. No doubt there is some kind of show bible, but nonetheless, the writer’s task of sticking to such extensive contexts must provide a challenge.
The 2023 Christmas Special, “The Church on Ruby Road,” is an example of how this lore can become a point of contention when it is deviated from. The fact this came in Gatwa’s first full episode as the titular Doctor would have meant viewers were even more eagle-eyed, trying to spot how this iteration of the character would be different. Despite this episode releasing almost a year ago, the character of Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) still presents an issue, as her recognition of the T.A.R.D.I.S. not only breaks with previous lore surrounding the time machine’s camouflage but seemingly has no end of potential explanations.
What Happens in ‘Doctor Who’s ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ Christmas Special?
“The Church on Ruby Road” follows The Doctor as he protects Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and her foster family from time-surfing goblins. The episode opens by showing that Ruby Sunday was a foundling baby, and once she grows up, she attempts to find her parents with the help of DNA experts. However, bad luck caused by the goblins follows her wherever she goes, with The Doctor only protecting her. When Ruby’s foster mother adopts a new baby who was born on the same day as Ruby, Christmas Eve, the goblins cannot help but be obsessed by this coincidence, and they kidnap the baby.
The Doctor and Ruby sneak aboard the goblins’ flying ship, and after a rather strange pop song performed by the goblins, they save the baby. However, the goblins go back in time to take Ruby when she was a baby instead, showing how the fabric of time overlaps with the cause and effect of coincidence going out of the window. The Doctor is able to save baby Ruby, and it all ends happily ever after, with Ruby joining The Doctor in the T.A.R.D.I.S. However, despite the wild twists and turns this episode takes, it’s the background character, Mrs. Flood, who causes the most controversy.
Mrs. Flood Breaks a Long-Time ‘Doctor Who’ Tradition With Infinite Possible Explanations
At first, Mrs. Flood appears to be a regular citizen. She complains that there is a police box blocking the pavement, seemingly unaware it is a T.A.R.D.I.S. However, the final scene is what will shock fans. When Gatwa’s Doctor goes to leave, Mrs. Flood refers to the T.A.R.D.I.S. as his “box of tricks,” and the final shot is Mrs. Flood looking directly into the camera and saying, “Never seen a T.A.R.D.I.S. before?” before winking at the audience. Why this is so shocking is because the T.A.R.D.I.S. comes with a perception filter, which means that average people cannot see or detect its presence, with only The Doctor and his companions being able to recognize the box.
Perhaps Mrs. Flood seeing the box on the pavement makes sense, as the T.A.R.D.I.S. is still an object with mass, and The Doctor can’t park it on the pavement without people being obstructed, and an invisible barrier would be less inconspicuous than just a police box. Yet it’s her use of the actual word “T.A.R.D.I.S.” that makes the ears perk up. Could Mrs. Flood’s knowledge be a sign of her character having some kind of history with The Doctor? That would explain why the perception filter is broken, though it provides an even greater mystery of what this history might be.
Perhaps we will never know how or why Mrs. Flood knows what a T.A.R.D.I.S. is. There is every chance it was merely a meta wink at the audience signaling a new era of Doctor Who beginning. The fact it is a Christmas special would help with this possibility that we shouldn’t take what happens too seriously. However, even this attempt at rationalization doesn’t feel apt given the mysteries surrounding her character otherwise — you don’t cast Anita Dobson for nothing. Hopefully, we will learn more about Mrs. Flood, as her character provides an intriguing mystery that could literally go anywhere, and we would hope a break in the lore would mean something significant, yet only time will tell.
