Doctor who at Christmas. After a long day of roasting a turkey, stuffing it and whatnot, you can cozy up by a warm fire to watch the latest adventure in the TARDIS. It just feels good – and it's been sorely missed for six years.
But that festive streak finally comes to an end with the 15th Doctor's debut in the 2023 Christmas special 'The Church on Ruby Road'. Doctor who's 60th anniversary special officially ends with 'The Giggle' on December 9 – a three-part story that once again seems to say goodbye (albeit temporarily, in our opinion) to David Tennant's Time Lord and Catherine Tate's Donna Noble – it's time to move forward to look at the future of the iconic science fiction show.
The new TARDIS team – Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson – will make their official debut as the Doctor and new companion Ruby Rose later this month, with the TV special airing on the BBC in the UK and Disney Plus internationally. Ahead of its arrival, we've rounded up everything worth knowing about 'The Church on Ruby Road,' including its release date and time, cast list, plot details and more. Materializing that important information in three, two, one…
Doctor Who Christmas special 2023 release date
The 2023 Doctor who The Christmas special premieres on Christmas Day (December 25). As mentioned, it airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, as well as on Disney Plus, aka one of the world's best streaming services, in the US, Australia and elsewhere in the world.
UK viewers can settle for more wobbly, wobbly timely events at 17:55 GMT. Luckily, American and Australian viewers won't have to avoid hours of spoilers, as it will be released simultaneously on Disney's primary streamer. So for US audiences you can stream it at 12:55pm ET / 9:55am PT. Australians can watch it on December 26 at 3:55am AEST.
The special is also 55 minutes long, so the 15th Doctor's first appearance will be done in less than an hour.
Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023 cast
The BBC has confirmed the main cast for 'The Church on Ruby Road':
- Ncuti Gatwa as the doctor
- Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
- Davina McCall as herself
- Mary Malone as Trudy
- Antia Dobson as Mrs. Flood
- Hemi Yeroham as Abdul
- Michelle Greenidge as Carla, Ruby's mother
- Angela Wynter as Cherry, Ruby's grandmother
Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023 plot synopsis
The 2023 Doctor who The Christmas special will be the first real adventure for Gatwa's 15th Doctor – you know, after his surprise cameo in 'The Giggle' – and will also mark the debut of his new companion Ruby Sunday (Gibson).
It is the follow-up to Tennant's 14th version of the Time Lord and sees Gatwa encounter mythical goblins as his life collides with Ruby's, with showrunner Russell T. Davies telling the BBC: “From day one in this job I wanted Doctor who back on Christmas Day! And with Ncuti, Millie, Davina and the Goblin King, I hope it will be a party for the whole family!”
Little else is known about the special's plot – to be honest, we don't want any pre-release spoilers – but the BBC has teased how Ruby will come to meet the Doctor as part of the proceedings: “Ruby Sunday… was abandoned at Christmas Eve as a baby. Now living with her mother Carla and grandmother Cherry, her world is turned upside down when she meets the doctor and the two go on their first adventure together.'
Making her casting announcement in the Christmas special, Davina McCall, who will be playing herself in the Who universe, said: “It's more than an honor to be asked to appear not only in Doctor Who, but also in Ncuti's first episode as the new episode .” Doctor. It was such an extraordinary experience and Russell has written a Christmas delight for you all! Now I can't wait for everyone to see it!'
Curiously, the presenter/actor previously voiced the Davinadroid in the 2005 episode 'Bad Wolf', which saw Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor trapped in a futuristic version of reality series. Big Brother. That was also Davies' first season in charge of the show, so it's clear that McCall and Davies get along well.
Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023 Trailer
With Tennant's second outing as the Doctor seemingly coming to an end – we don't think this is the last we've seen of him – in 'The Giggle', the BBC has released a short teaser for 'The Church of Ruby Road', which admittedly briefly lifts the lid on what you can expect from the holiday hairdresser of 2023.
In it, we see the Doctor encounter Ruby in a nightclub (of all places!) before the duo fight their way aboard the goblins' sky-faring ship and get into all sorts of trouble. Watch the short teaser above to learn more about the wild and hectic adventure they'll find themselves on in just two and a half weeks.
Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023: what now?
After the 2023 Christmas special, Doctor who will return for the rebooted show's 14th season (oddly enough, it will also be ' Doctor who season 1) next year. No official launch date has been announced, but an early 2024 release is rumored. It will also consist of eight episodes, with the mystery surrounding Ruby's birth expected to play an integral role in the wider plot.
Special guest in the form of Jonathan Groff (Frozen, The Matrix Resurrections), Lenny Rush (Enola Holmes2), Aneurine Barnard (Dunkirk), Jinkx monsoon (Ru Paul's Drag Race), and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) have already been announced. Monsoon is expected to play a major role in season 14, while Barnard will play a mysterious character named Roger ap Gwilliam (according to the series). BBC) and Varma plays a character known as The Duchess.
There will also be some familiar faces appearing in the next episode of the show. The BBC has confirmed that Jemma Redgrave is back as UNIT director Kate Stewart, while Bonnie Langford will make her return as Mel Bush (according to the BBC). BBC), a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors between 1986 and 1987. She also made a brief cameo in the final episode of Jodie Whittaker's stint as the 13th Doctor in 2022, and another in the final 60th anniversary special 'The Giggle'.
For more Doctor who coverage, read our guide to each Doctor who Christmas special arranged. Plus, see if you agree with our selection of the 20 best Doctor who episodes ever made, or why the whole thing Doctor who collection is not available to stream on Disney Plus.