Liam O'Dell
Dec 09, 2023
Bang Showbiz / VideoElephant
The third and final 60th anniversary special for Doctor Who, called âThe Giggleâ, airs on BBC One on Saturday night (December 9), but fans of the beloved sci-fi show wonât have to wait long to see Ncuti Gatwaâs first full adventure as the newly regenerated Fifteenth Doctor, as the Christmas special â âThe Church on Ruby Roadâ â airs just a few weeks later on Christmas Day.
So what exactly do we know about the Christmas special?
The episode description
The BBCâs description of the special reads: âLong 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."
The new companion
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Oh, and of course, weâll be introduced to new companion, Ruby Sunday. We found out in November last year, during the Children in Need telethon, that she would be played by former Coronation Street actor Millie Gibson.
A BBC press release shared earlier this month gave some more details about Rubyâs character, noting that she was the baby abandoned on Christmas Eve and that she is ânow living with her mum, Carla [Michelle Greenidge] and grandmother Cherry [Angela Wynter]â.
Davina McCall?
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Yes, the Long Lost Family co-presenter and former Big Brother presenter will be making an appearance in the Christmas special â as herself.
We wish we had more details to share about exactly what sheâs up to in the episode, but thatâs all we know.
Perhaps Ruby appears on Long Lost Family in the search for who abandoned her?
Goblins
The big bad of the episode appears to be âThe Goblin Kingâ, according to writer and showrunner Russell T Davies. A teaser image has been released of the creatures, and they certainly donât look very welcomingâ¦
And to top it off, Doctor Who will release a Christmas single called 'The Goblin Song' on Monday, composed by Murray Gold and raising money for Children in Need.
Gold said: âI donât like these goblins and you wonât either but they have agreed to donate everything from their song to BBC Children in Need so letâs not give up on them.â
âThe Church on Ruby Roadâ airs at 5:55pm on BBC One on 25 December.
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