Doctor Who spoilers follow.
The BBC has officially confirmed when Doctor Who's festive special will air this year – including its time slot.
As suspected in previous reports, Doctor Who will return to a central spot on the BBC's Christmas listings with the airing of 'The Church on Ruby Road' on December 25, AKA Christmas Day.
For 2023, it is scheduled for 5.55pm on BBC One. The episode will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Along with this news, the BBC has also reiterated that this Christmas special will be the "first epic adventure" of the Ncuti Gatwa era as the Fiftteenth Doctor – though it has now been confirmed that Ncuti will pop up first in the remaining Doctor Who 60th anniversary episode, airing on Saturday (December 9).
Related: Doctor Who's 'The Star Beast' special fixes the show's biggest mistake
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As its title suggests, the upcoming Christmas episode will see the debut of Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, as the new Doctor's companion.
In a teaser for the episode, the BBC has revealed that little is known about Ruby Sunday as she was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby. But her world is about to be turned around, when she encounters the Doctor – and they set off on their first adventure together...
'The Church on Ruby Road' will also see a cameo return from Davina McCall, nearly 19 years after her previous Doctor Who appearance in 2005's 'Bad Wolf'.
Showrunner Russell T Davies announced last year that he was busy at work on another special aimed, to air on Christmas Day in 2024.
Davies has also since revealed that next year's special will feature Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan in a still-mysterious guest role.
Doctor Who airs on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere.
Classic episodes of Doctor Who are now made available via BBC iPlayer in the UK as well.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
