I have a lot of happy memories attached to Doctor Who. I started watching Doctor Who in college and it’s one of the first shows that me and my now husband watched together as a couple. Doctor Who was a show I would watch with my roommate at the time and we were fascinated by the adventures that The Doctor would have. I stopped watching Doctor Who sometime in Capaldi’s series and I haven’t had a chance to return to the show. I wanted to do a full rewatch, but that’s a huge commitment. When I heard that Disney+ would be carrying all the new episodes of Doctor Who going forward, I was ecstatic. I know there may be some mixed opinions about Disney+ right now, however, I feel that with Disney+ airing new episodes of Doctor Who, it might allow new fans to join the fandom. As part of this joint venture, the holiday special is live on Disney+, debuting Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor. I was impressed with Ncuti’s portrayal of The Doctor and I have high hopes for the new series.

The Church on Ruby Road opens with Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson) being interviewed by television host, Davina McCall (played by Davina McCall herself). Ruby is partnering with Davina to help find her birth parents as Ruby was dropped off at a church as a baby. After the interview, Ruby experiences a bout of bad luck. Ruby’s foster mother, Carla, brings home a new baby, Lulubelle whom Ruby agrees to watch while Carla runs errands. While Lulubelle is under Ruby’s care, Lulubelle is kidnapped by goblins. Ruby rushes to help and meets The Doctor (played by Ncuti Gatwa) who also is chasing after the goblins. Ruby and The Doctor agree to work together to save Lulubelle and stop the goblins.

As far as companions go, I like Ruby. Ruby reminds me a lot of Rose (played by Billie Piper) who was a companion during both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s series. She’s caring, curious, and willing to dive into any sort of adventure. I think Ruby and The Doctor have good chemistry together as friends. I personally prefer the companions who serve as The Doctor’s equal to the companions who fall in love with The Doctor. Speaking of The Doctor, I like Ncuti’s portrayal of the character. He seems spunky, yet calculated as he plans out how to escape from the goblins. This is kind of a small thing to bring up, but I noticed that in the poster for Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road The Doctor’s nails are painted. I think that’s a nice touch. The Doctor is someone who is unique and stands out, so it’s nice to see The Doctor bend gender norms.

One thing that Doctor Who is known for is being heartfelt. This holiday special was no different. There’s a moment where The Doctor has to travel back in time to when Ruby was dropped off at the church. The Doctor is seen holding Ruby as a baby and whispering to her “Happy Birthday” as he sets her down in front of the church. Don’t mind me crying at a Doctor Who special. I think it’s a nice hint of foreshadowing because it sounds like the series will expand on Ruby’s back story and I’m interested to see where that goes.

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road is available to stream on Disney+. While some fans might not like the fact that Doctor Who is on Disney+, I think it’s a great idea. Since Doctor Who is more available to me, I might end up watching this series and get back into keeping up to date on new episodes.