Ruby Sunday
Doctor Who character
Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
First appearance"The Church on Ruby Road" (2023)
Portrayed byMillie Gibson
Duration2023–present
In-universe information
AffiliationFifteenth Doctor
RelativesCarla Sunday (adoptive mother)
Cherry Sunday (adoptive maternal grandmother)
Home era21st century

Ruby Sunday is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, created by Russell T Davies and portrayed by Millie Gibson. In the show's fourteenth series, starting with the Christmas special, Ruby serves as the companion to the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), an incarnation of the alien time traveller known as the Doctor.

Appearances

Television

Ruby Sunday is introduced in the 2023 Christmas special "The Church on Ruby Road". Ruby was born on Christmas Eve 2004. Her birth mother abandoned her on the outside of the titular Ruby Road church. She was then fostered and adopted by Carla Sunday. Nineteen years later, Ruby is trying to find information about her birth parents, to no avail. She is also experiencing unnatural bad luck, attracting the Fifteenth Doctor's interest. When her adoptive mother's new foster baby is kidnapped by human-eater goblins, Ruby boards their flying ship and formally meets the Doctor. After deducing that the goblins feed on coincidence and cause Ruby's bad luck, the Doctor and Ruby save the baby. However, the creatures go back in time to kidnap Ruby on the day of her birth and eat her. The Doctor follows them and saves Ruby. Back in 2023, Ruby understands the Doctor is a time traveller and follows him inside the TARDIS.[1]

Other media

In January 2024, a Series 14 tie-in comic strip featuring Ruby Sunday with the Fifteenth Doctor was published in Doctor Who Magazine #599.[2]

Casting and development

In July 2021, Jodie Whittaker announced that she would end her tenure as the Thirteenth Doctor by 2022.[3] Mandip Gill and John Bishop, who portrayed the Thirteenth Doctor's companions Yasmin Khan and Dan Lewis, later stated that they were unsure if they would continue starring following the 2022 specials, but Gill confirmed her departure from the show on 3 May 2022.[4] Later that month, it was announced that Catherine Tate would return as Donna Noble to act as the companion for David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor during the 2023 specials.[5] Auditions for the Fifteenth Doctor's companion took place on 24 September 2022.[6] On 18 November 2022, during Children in Need, Millie Gibson was announced as the new companion Ruby Sunday.[7]

In November 2023, it was confirmed that Gibson would stay for the fifteenth series.[8]

Reception

Following her introduction, Ruby Sunday was positively received by critics. Empire's Jordan King praised the character's dynamics with Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and commented that "there's more than enough in Gibson's performance to suggest far greater depths yet for her to explore with the character."[9] Ed Power from The Independent mentioned that Gibson's performance made her "immediately likeable", calling Ruby "a wonderful new companion".[10]

References

  1. ↑ Writer Russell T Davies, Director Mark Tonderai (25 December 2023). "The Church on Ruby Road". Doctor Who. Series 14. Episode 0. Cardiff. BBC. BBC One.
  2. ↑ "Doctor Who Magazine 599". Panini Group. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall to leave in 2022". BBC News. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Fullerton, Huw (25 October 2021). "John Bishop and Mandip Gill say they could stay in Doctor Who after Jodie Whittaker's exit: "It's a conversation to be had"". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to Doctor Who". Doctor Who. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  6. ↑ TVZone (9 November 2022). "Doctor Who: Series 14 Updates And Production Team Confirmed". TVZoneUK. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Millie Gibson is the new Doctor Who companion, Ruby Sunday | Doctor Who". Doctor Who TV. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Laford, Andrea (15 November 2023). "Millie Gibson films scenes for 2025 Doctor Who in Bristol". CultBox. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. ↑ King, Jordan (25 December 2023). "Doctor Who: The Church On Ruby Road Review". Empire. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ↑ Power, Ed (25 December 2023). "Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Church on Ruby Road review – the charismatic Ncuti Gatwa knocks it out of the park". The Independent. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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