Doctor Who Showrunner Promises “Shocking Answers” For Ruby Sunday’s Parents Mystery
Doctor Who writer and showrunner Russell T Davies has teased that the show’s Ruby Sunday parentage reveal could prove to be a shock. Davies, who helmed the revival of the show back in 2005-2010, before returning to the franchise in 2023, has overseen production of the first four series of the show, alongside five specials, before returning to oversee the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials, and the franchise’s move to Disney+. Doctor Who season 14 will star Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, with Millie Gibson to co-star as companion Ruby Sunday, a girl who is abandoned as a baby.
In an interview Screen Rant, Davies has teased that the mystery surrounding Ruby’s parents will provide some shocking answers. The character’s backstory begins from birth, as audiences see baby Ruby abandoned in a church doorway on Christmas Eve by a hooded figure in the Christmas special episode ‘The Church on Ruby Road’. Davies talked about the unsuccessful in-universe attempts to trace Ruby’s parentage as a foundling, and how the reveals about her parentage will prove shocking. Read Davies’ full comments below:
It’s a new one for me to actually bring a companion with such a strong story. We’ve always had great characters, and we’ve always been blessed with the greatest of actors, but the TARDIS with the Doctor tends to be the start of their journey. Actually, Ruby’s story has been going on since she was born, and we’ve seen this. We’ve seen a baby abandoned on a church doorstep in the snow on Christmas Eve.
It’s quite a shock to realize that it’s 2004 because she’s so young. 2004 sounds like yesterday to me; I always have to pause and think about that day, thinking, “Ruby’s so young.” We actually talk about that in the penultimate episode. The fact that it’s not Dickensian, there’s not a fairy tale here. It actually happened in 2004.
But she’s a mystery. There’s an unashamed mystery about who is her mother, who is her father. It’s something that I was very interested in. I watched There’s a very great British show called Long Lost Family hosted by Davina McCall. We got her into The Church on Ruby Road; she’s a very famous British TV presenter, and she hosts this show that started doing stories about foundlings because now, for the first time in history, foundlings can be traced through DNA.
That’s a whole raft of people, who’ve never had any hope of tracing their family, suddenly finding that their family can be found by the press of a computer button. I love that stuff. I would’ve written a drama about that no matter what. Then you put that into a Doctor Who setting, and suddenly you’re thinking, “Who is Ruby’s mother? Who is the father? Is there a grander story at play here? What a mystery.” It just comes alive. I’ve loved that, and Millie has risen to the challenge of hitting that epic story so beautifully.
Great fun to be had. Answers are coming, don’t worry. I’m not going to do that vague science fiction thing of going, “Oh, we might find out one day…” Big answers are on their way. Shocking answers.
How Ruby’s Parent Mystery Can Play A Key Role In The Show & What The Reveal Could Be
“Indeed, the fact Davies has also teased the show’s controversial Timeless Child arc as inspiration for Ruby’s means the storyline is likely to be rich in mythology, and will have strong links to the future direction of the series in the Disney+ era.”
From Davies’ comments, it can be inferred that he has planned this as a key part of Ruby’s character arc, and the mystery surrounding who her parents are will likely play a prominent role in the new series. A science-fiction show with the scope of Doctor Who could take some interesting steps with Ruby’s parental heritage reveal, and could hint at the fact that her parents may not be human. Her character is told in the show that there is no trace of her mother or father, but could this be because they might have spent time away from Earth?
There are a lot of possibilities that the show could explore with this, and there might even be links back to other characters or storylines that have been explored in the revival series. Indeed, the fact Davies has also teased the show’s controversial Timeless Child arc as inspiration for Ruby’s means the storyline is likely to be rich in mythology, and will have strong links to the future direction of the series in the Disney+ era.
How clear the reveal will be, and when it may occur during the series, remains to be seen, but it seems highly likely that Ruby’s parental mystery reveal is going to be one of the most prominent storylines of seasons 14 and 15, and there could be clues in the Doctor Who season 14 cast that might shed a light on who could appear as Ruby’s parents. Davies is obviously keeping his cards close to his chest on what exactly the reveal will be, but his comments suggest this is a Doctor Who reveal that could shock many viewers.
