Ncuti Gatwa’s first solo adventure as the Doctor debuts tonight – find out when the episode airs, who the new companion is and more right here
Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary had three explosive instalments, and the latter shook up the Whoniverse lore forever. But more importantly, Ncuti Gatwa made his glowing debut as the fifteenth Doctor – taking over from fan favourite, David Tennant.
The third episode, The Giggle, left a number of questions for fans of the sci-fi series, but also promised plenty of adventures to come for the new Time Lord. Gatwa’s first solo outing will be the return of the Doctor Who Christmas Special – if you’d like to tune in (and want to know more about the repercussions of that regeneration scene), then we have everything you need to know.What time does the Doctor Who Christmas Special air tonight?
The first full episode featuring the fifteenth Doctor will be a festive treat, airing tonight on Christmas Day, 25 December 2023 at 5:55pm GMT. It’s called The Church on Ruby Road.
If you’re in the UK, you can watch it on BBC One on the TV, or stream it on BBC iPlayer. US viewers will be able to catch it on Disney+ from 9:55am PT/12:55pm ET.
The Christmas Specials were a tradition that were let go when Jodie took over. There will also be another Christmas Special in 2024. Is there a trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
Here is the first full trailer for The Church on Ruby Road, which shows him having a sky-high meeting with the new companion:
There’s also a full-length look at the Goblin song, which will feature in the episode (if you’re avoiding spoilers, give this one a miss).
What is the plot of the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
The Church on Ruby Road covers the origin of the next companion, Ruby Sunday. Here is the official description from the BBC:
According to the BBC Press Office, Ruby Sunday lives with Carla, her mum, and her grandmother, Cherry. Her past his a bit of mystery, as she was abandoned when she was a baby. However, an encounter with The Doctor will change her life forever.
The villains of the episode will be the all singing, all dancing Goblins and their king – you can see more of them in the video above – whether there will be more musical numbers remains to be seen.
Presenter Davina McCall will also feature in the episode in some capacity, but we’re not exactly sure how yet.
Of course, we’ll also be learning more about the fifteenth Doctor – priming him for his next full season which will debut in 2024.
