Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode of Doctor Who is in the books, and the general consensus is that many are excited about this new era in the franchise. This is thanks, in no small part, to his phenomenal performance in “The Church on Ruby Road” but also because of the story laid out ahead of Season 14. Fans want to know more about The Doctor and Ruby’s quest to search out their origins and what the hell is going on with the new mysterious character, Mrs. Flood. Now, actress Anita Dobson, who portrays Flood, has weighed in on her character’s future.
As I mentioned in my key takeaways from the Christmas special, there’s something strange about Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood. On that note, the actress who plays her spoke more about her character during an episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed. While she didn’t say much, Dobson did confirm (via Comicbook.com) that there’s more to come:
Well, we’re sort of finding out about her as we go along. So, today, what you’ve seen is a friendly neighbor. What the future may be, no one knows. Russell is writing as we speak.
When Anita Dobson was first announced as part of the cast for Doctor Who Season 14, it wasn’t clear how significant her role would be. After watching “The Church on Ruby Road,” which is currently available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, it’s clear that Ruby’s seemingly clueless neighbor, Mrs. Flood, might be a little more on the ball than others around her believe. Fans were clued into this when she broke the fourth wall in the final scene of the special and asked the audience if they’d ever seen a TARDIS before.
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While Anita Dobson didn’t give any major spoilers, her confirmation that Mrs. Flood’s knowledge of the TARDIS was more than a cheeky line and actually relevant to the story is worth holding onto. After all, it’s not every day that someone recognizes the device. And, even if they do, someone calling it by its name indicates that they have a much deeper understanding of it than the average human may have. The question is why Mrs. Flood has this knowledge and what it means for Doctor Who going forward.
One added mystery is why Mrs. Flood hid her knowledge of the TARDIS from the Doctor and was seemingly unaware of what it was earlier in the episode. Is it possible that Flood was replaced by a villain posing as the neighbor, potentially Neil Patrick Harris’ Toymaker? Let’s not forget The Master could also be lurking about and would also know all there is to know about the TARDIS.
Aside from serving as a villain, Mrs. Flood could be anything, from a former UNIT operative to a secret incarnation of The Doctor, like actress Jo Martin played. We’ve seen so many twists and turns over the franchise’s 60-year history that it may not even be worth speculating too heavily on. That’s because Russell T. Davies might still manage to deliver a twist fans haven’t seen. Even so, I can’t help but continue to think about Mrs. Flood as we wait for Season 14 of Doctor Who and what more we may learn about her in the upcoming installments.
Doctor Who is now on Disney+ and will return in the spring with new episodes. I’ll be re-watching the Christmas special and 60th anniversary specials in the meantime and seeing what’s on tap for the new year as well with the 2024 TV schedule.