Doctor Who just introduced the new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson. But who is the show's new character and actress?
Longtime fans of Doctor Who will be more than aware the Doctor always travels with a companion, usually a young Earth girl from modern-day, who essentially serves as the audience surrogate across their sci-fi adventures.
Doctor Who's Ruby Sunday Explained
Following the debut of Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor in "The Giggle," the latest Time Lord returned for his first solo adventure in the 2023 Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road," where he met his new time-traveling companion.
The companion in question is Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, who brings with her an intriguing backstory filled with mystery.
19-year-old Gibson has previously appeared in 172 episodes of British soap Coronation Street as Kelly Nealan. She has also featured in the children's soccer series Jamie Johnson and the three-part drama Butterfly.
Ruby has some musical talents as she plays the keyboard in a band, which leads to her meeting with the 15th Doctor in a nightclub, quickly becoming intrigued by his mysterious and secretive nature.
When Ruby debuts in Doctor Who, she is living with her foster mother Carla, played by Michelle Greenidge, who took her in after she was abandoned by her birth mother on Christmas Eve outside a church on Ruby Road, hence her name.
The show picks up Ruby's story in her late teens as she is trying to find her birth mother and uncover the secrets behind her abandonment.
Doctor Who Sets Up Ruby's Season 14 Mystery
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Doctor Who, "The Church on Ruby Road."
By the end of "The Church on Ruby Road," having dealt with the goblin threat, Ruby Sunday has jetted off into time and space with the Doctor in the TARDIS, which, as usual, is bound to propel them into some crazy adventures in 2024.
But, even after enlisting the help of TV presenter Davina McCall, Ruby had still been unable to track down her birth mother. The special certainly leaves off with a sense the mystery of Ruby's origins will continue to be important in Doctor Who next year, with those answers likely to be a recurring mystery going forward.
After going back in time to the Christmas Eve abandonment, the Doctor caught a glimpse of Ruby's mother walking away but never intervened. It wouldn't be surprising if this moment were to be revisited down the line.
As this is Doctor Who, the truth behind Ruby's past is bound to tie into some kind of timey-wimey sci-fi plot that will span the next season, perhaps one that will involve her old and mysterious neighbor Mrs. Flood.
Doctor Who's 2023 Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road," is streaming now on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. & Ireland and Disney+ in other territories.
