Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies reveals that one pivotal moment in “The Church on Ruby Road” involving the Goblin King was a tribute to a beloved Disney animated feature. The 2023 seasonal special was Ncuti Gatwa’s first solo adventure as the Fifteenth Doctor, fully introducing the new incarnation of the Time Lord and Millie Gibson’s new companion, Ruby Sunday. In “The Church on Ruby Road,” the Doctor and Ruby face a horde of goblins led by a ginormous Goblin King, who jumps through time and uses manipulations of probability to abduct and eat children.
With more hype for Gatwa’s future adventures in Doctor Who season 14, Davies revealed during the BBC iPlayer commentary for “The Church on Ruby Road” that the climactic moment, where the Doctor uses the Intelligent Gloves to drag the Goblin Ship down to Earth in 2004, pays tribute to an iconic Disney moment. While speaking to Gibson and producer Chris May, the showrunner compared the moment when the Goblin King is impaled to the scene where the trident-empowered Ursula (Pat Carroll) is impaled by the ship’s prow in the final act of 1989’s The Little Mermaid. Check out Davies’ explanation below:
Millie Gibson: “So this is the death will haunt me forever. I don’t think there’s a worser one. I don’t know why.”
Russell T Davies: “Do you think? Look, Little Mermaid, what happens to Ursula? She gets stabbed by the ship.”
Gibson: “Oh!”
Davies: “It is based on The Little Mermaid, actually.”
Gibson: “Is it?!”
Davies: “When you watch the cartoon of The Little Mermaid, you work out that she’s going to be stabbed by the prow of that ship six seconds before it happens.”
Chris May: “Yeah, yeah yeah.”
Davies: “Exactly. It’s one of the cleverest bits of writing I’ve ever seen. This is my homage to it.”
Future Doctor Who Stories Will Lean Further Into Fantasy
The goblins and their Disney-inspired fate are only part of a larger shift in the direction of Doctor Who in Davies’ second tenure as showrunner. The showrunner stated that the series is set to expand its vision and take a more fantastical approach to its world. This does not mean stepping away from more scientific foes or harder sci-fi storytelling but opening itself up for more varied tales. The ground for these changes may have been established in Doctor Who‘s 60th-anniversary specials by the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) evoking superstition at the edge of the universe, allowing for the return of the immeasurably powerful Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) and other beings like him.
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These changes could be seen early on in Doctor Who season 14, as one of Gatwa’s earliest foes takes its name from one of the most popular and well-known mythical fables known across the globe. In the television documentary Imagine… Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me, Davies took host Alan Yentob on a set tour for season 14. He introduced a highly pixelated villain named “The Boogeyman” on the set that resembles a corridor seen in the behind-the-scenes show Doctor Who: Unleashed‘s first teaser for season 14’s debut episode. As such, the upcoming season’s mythological approach may be seen as soon as Gatwa’s new adventures air.
While audiences have been curious about how the BBC and Disney+’s Doctor Who deal may impact the show, the inspirations behind “The Church on Ruby Road” may come as a surprise. The parallels become more obvious upon subsequent viewings and feel fitting for Davies’ more fantastical vision. With the showrunner keen on bringing more fantasy to the Whoniverse, eagle-eyed watchers may be keen to see whether more fairy-tale allusions appear in future episodes.
Doctor Who
Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
