We’re only a matter of days away from the new run of Doctor Who episodes but already, an exciting future Christmas special is being teased by showrunner Russell T Davies.
Chatting to The Times in a new interview, Davies was asked about the possibility of a Nativity scene seeing as the new run sees Ncuti Gatwa‘s Doctor mention some companions going to see the Bethlehem Nativity.
Davies said: “Oh my God. Absolutely, that’s the great Christmas special waiting to happen. I know. It’s funny, we’ve talked about it … give us time … We’d do that with a bit of respect and fun.”
Last year’s Christmas special was the first full episode with Gatwa at the helm as the Fifteenth Doctor and in the festive special, we were also introduced to his companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).
Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in the Doctor Who Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road. BBC Studios 2023,Lara Cornell
The pair quickly bonded over their shared experiences of abandonment and being adopted by a newfound family and its also a thread that’s set to rear its head once again as we delve further into the Doctor’s own familial past.
Speaking about how the new season will pick back up after The Church on Ruby Road, Davies revealed: “We saw at Christmas, there is obviously a mystery to Ruby’s birth family. She was a foundling left at a church. It is a fairy tale-like story, but it keeps following her.
“That story is not finished. Who is her mother? How can they possibly find out what went on? The way the Doctor ties into this is fascinating. This emotional man I’ve been talking about opens up about his family in a way that he’s never done before.”
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The slate of new episodes will kick off with Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord, before the third episode, Boom, marks the return of former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat as the episode’s writer.
While exact details of the fateful third episode remain under wraps for now, Davies did reveal his thoughts about Boom in a Q&A, saying: “At the very start of that, the Doctor stands on a landmine and can’t move for the entire episode – that is absolutely a masterpiece of performance from [Ncuti and Millie], and in terms of tension, it’s just incredible.”
The showrunner said that he “can’t wait” for people to see the episode, adding that it is “amazing”.
“People will be talking about that for years to come,” he said.
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Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 11th May 2024.
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