The Fifteenth Doctor has arrived!
A new trailer for Doctor Who’s 2023 Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, has been revealed, and it looks absolutely glorious.
The upcoming special, which will see Doctor Who return to its Christmas Day slot, will mark Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode as the Fifteenth Doctor.
First-look images of the special show the Doctor dancing away in a club, where he’s set to meet his newest companion, Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.
The episode will also delve into Ruby’s backstory and introduce her family for the first time.
Plus, it will see Doctor Who take a “sly step” towards fantasy, as showrunner Russell T Davies put it, with the pair facing a horde of goblins.
Speaking in this week’s issue of Radio Times magazine, Davies spoke about shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher, saying: “I was just a bit jealous that all those other shows were getting a bigger tase of the pie, so this Christmas the enemy is goblins.”
Davies admitted: “The show is taking a sly step towards fantasy, which will annoy people to whom it’s a hard science-fiction show.
“Episode 2 next year is wildly fantasy. Completely making up scenarios on-screen that we’ve never been able to show before. But the following episode is proper hard science-fiction.”
Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that the Christmas special will feature a show-stopping musical number, with The Goblin Song being released very soon.
Davies said: “We’re releasing this as an early Christmas present for everyone. And if you want to see how the Doctor and Ruby escape from the Goblin King at the end of the song, you’ll have to watch on Christmas Day!”
Doctor Who will return for The Church on Ruby Road on BBC One at 5:55pm on Christmas Day.
Previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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