Doctor Who 2023 Christmas Special review: Ncuti Gatwa is the perfect gift

Doctor Who is back, in more ways than one. For the first time since 2017 we’re getting a proper Christmas special, plus a brand new Doctor, a new companion, and the return of Russell T. Davies, the showrunner who originally revived the series in 2005. As thrilling and emotional as it was to see David Tennant and Catherine Tate back together in the recent 60th anniversary specials, they were just a warm up act for the newest cast to make themselves at home in the TARDIS. With love and respect to Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor (who never got the storylines or the respect she deserved) Ncuti Gatwa’s abundant charisma is exactly the shot in the arm the series needed to feel fresh and energetic once more.

After a delightful and lengthier than expected introduction in the final anniversary special, “The Giggle,” Gatwa gets his first full adventure as The Doctor in “The Church On Ruby Road.” The episode opens with the backstory of future companion Ruby Sunday, who was left on the doorstep of the church in the title (that’s how she got her name) on Christmas Eve. We see The Doctor emerge from the TARDIS with tears in his eyes, his breath shuddering as the woman who left her walks away in the snow. The next time we see him he’s quietly observing a grown-up Ruby with interest as the latest in a series of unlucky mishaps befalls her. And then we get the scene from the trailer of The Doctor twirling euphorically on the dance floor in a club. In those three scenes alone he sums up everything this Doctor is and establishes the parameters of his emotional range. Let’s just say it’s wide. That won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s seen Gatwa in Sex Education, but he’s already made The Doctor completely his own. And that’s no small feat as the 14th-ish (it’s complicated) actor to play the role.

Davies wrote the episode as a soft reboot for the series, so new viewers can jump in without knowing the show’s long history, or anything about The Doctor, really. In a way, it’s a companion piece to “Rose,” the episode that kicked the New Who era off with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and introduced Billie Piper as his new companion. Like “Rose,” this is strictly an Earth-based adventure, set primarily in the present day. We hardly see the TARDIS at all. Of course, The Doctor comes with his pockets full of toys, old and new—a refurbished sonic screwdriver (which now looks more like a computer mouse or a universal remote, which is basically what it is), psychic paper, intelligent gloves—but “The Church On Ruby Road” is meant to ease you into the world of Doctor Who, or guide you through re-entry if you’ve been away for a while.

It’s not only a showcase for Gatwa, but a solid debut for Millie Gibson as Ruby. She’s the focus of most of the episode, and it seems like the mystery of who she is and where she came from will be an ongoing theme when the series returns in earnest next spring. Davies has always been very good at creating characters, and he makes you sympathize with Ruby from the start. When we meet her she’s actively searching for the mother who gave her up. At the same time, her love for her wonderful adoptive mother (Michelle Greenidge) and grandmother (Angela Wynter) is evident. It’s key that we understand what each companion is leaving behind or giving up in order to travel with The Doctor, and Davies has always gotten that.

There are other things that Davies doesn’t do quite so well, and his worst tendencies are unfortunately present here too. His writing process often starts with a premise or a big idea first, and then he fills in everything else around it. This heart-forward approach makes for emotional storytelling, but it can also result in gaps of logic, plot holes, clumsy exposition, or things that simply don’t make sense if you take even a second to think about it. He also loves to lean into the goofier aspects of Doctor Who. Now that the show has a bigger budget, thanks to an influx of Disney money, it gives Davies more opportunities to indulge in flights of fancy, like a full musical number set inside a goblin airship. Gatwa even joins in at one point. Yes, “The Doctor Dances,” and he sings now too (quite well, in fact). Davies even co-wrote the song, all about how excited these goblins are to eat a baby. Sample lyric: “Baby’s had such very bad luck, now into baby we will tuck!” Fans will either love it or hate it, there’s no in between.

The secret to Doctor Who’s success after an unprecedented 60 years on and off the air is that it’s constantly reinventing itself. When you have a show that can go anywhere in time and space it can withstand radical changes. You can explore different genres like horror, comedy, period drama, spy thriller, or in this case fantasy. You can switch out the creative team, both behind the scenes and on screen, and still be recognizably the same show. It all works, as long as the quality is there. And for now, with the team of Davies, Gatwa, and Gibson on board, it feels like the future of the show is in good hands.