Russell T. Davies dropped a little detail regarding Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), the new traveling companion in Doctor Whoalongside Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor.
The return of Doctor Who next May on Disney+ will not only mark the arrival of a new Doctor (the 15th of the name!), played by Ncuti Gatwa. During the last Christmas Special, we also met a brand new traveling companion: Ruby Sunday. But who is she exactly?
This character, played by Millie Gibson, is supposed to be an orphan. When she meets the Doctor, she herself does not know his origins. We only know that it was placed at the foot of a church by a mysterious person hidden by a cloak; before being adopted by a loving mother. Even when the Doctor returns to the past, he unfortunately does not have time to go meet the person who dropped off the baby.
While the new season 1 is coming soon (May 11 on Disney+), and should clarify her personal story, we know that Ruby will be around for a long time. Rumors spread by the British celebrity press suggested her departure at the start of season 2, but, in a recent interview for Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Russell T. Davies refutes this false information: a new companion will certainly join the TARDIS during season 2 (played by Varada Sethu), but Ruby will remain. It will therefore be a “Tardis team” again.
During this same interview, the showrunner also gives an important – and non-spoiler – clue about Ruby’s future role in the mythology of Doctor Who.
The story of the Timeless Child returns to Doctor Who
Russell T. Davies connects Ruby’s story to that of the “Timeless Child”. During the 13th era with Jodie Whittaker, and more particularly in season 13 (second series), the Doctor’s origins were partially revealed. We actually learned that a mysterious child, orphaned and coming from an unknown space-time location, had been discovered by the people of Gallifrey, on another planet. When she died, this child was able to regenerate. This ability was scientifically exploited, which gave birth to the famous Time Lords (and a secret division). This child is the Doctor; who also learned the news at the same time as us.
This part of the mythology of Doctor Who ventured for the first time into the more personal, even intimate, origins of the Doctor. And the least we can say is that this choice was controversial among fans. Anyway, this origin story is “ cannon » in the universe of the series. And Russell T. Davies intends to continue exploring it.
The showrunner revealed that Ruby Sunday’s story was largely inspired by the Timeless Child. “ This story will be the backbone of the entire series “, he explains. He takes the opportunity to specify that Ruby will be particularly “ important », including until the end of season 2 which is currently filming.
From the so-called Christmas Special episode, which introduced the character, the parallels between the Doctor and Ruby were striking. The Doctor himself noted this. The two protagonists were abandoned in their younger years and do not know their parents or their origin. Their birth is a mystery belonging to the past and which seems insoluble.
It’s hard to guess how Ruby is incorporated into the Doctor’s origin story, but there is no doubt that Russell T. Davies planned to expand the mythology of Doctor Who with this character. So there is now one certainty: the narrative arc around Ruby will span the next two seasons, not just the next one. “ Russell gave me the gift of a very beautiful story arc, not only in season 1, but also in season 2 », Specifies Millie Gibson in Entertainment Weekly.
Subscribe to Numerama on Google News so you don’t miss any news!
Some links in this article are affiliated. We’ll explaine everything here.