Doctor Who: Who is Mrs Flood? Old lady explained
BBCUnassuming old lady Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) is responsible for one of the Doctor Who Christmas special’s biggest surprises. So, who is she and what does her introduction mean for the Fifteenth Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) future adventures?
This is just one of several mysteries the 2023 special, “The Church on Ruby Road,” left Doctor Who fans to mull over.
Notably, the bumper-sized festive outing keeps the identity of Ruby Sunday’s (Millie Gibson) mother under wraps too. While some Doctor Who devotees think they’ve already cracked the case, showrunner Russell T Davies remains mom (sorry…) on the subject.
Yet for all the hubbub around Ruby’s parentage, Mrs Flood is currently just as much of a talking point – so read on to find out why! Warning: Doctor Who Christmas special spoilers to follow…
Doctor Who: Who is Mrs Flood? Old lady explained
Mrs Flood is Ruby Sunday’s elderly neighbor and lives at 4 Minto Road, Notting Hill. She’s portrayed as an ordinary old lady for most of the Doctor Who Christmas special’s runtime, however, its mid-credits scene hints that there’s more to this old lady than meets the eye.
Here, Mrs Flood – initially depicted as oblivious to Time Lord culture – turns to the camera and smirks, before quipping, “Never seen a TARDIS before?” It’s currently unclear how Mrs Flood knows about the Doctor’s time-traveling spacecraft, and how and when she acquired this info.
It’s equally unknown whether Mrs Flood’s big, fourth-wall-breaking moment in the Doctor Who Christmas special is simply a gag and not part of Davies’ grand vision for the show’s future. That said, recent remarks by both Davies and Dobson suggest the latter scenario is closer to the truth.
“Mrs Flood is a mysterious character,” Davies said in an episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed (via Radio Times). “You will eventually find out more about her. She’s a slow burn, Mrs Flood. Who is Mrs Flood? Come back and find out!”
“Today what you see is a friendly neighbor,” added Dobson. “What the future may be, no one knows. Russell is writing it as we speak.”
What are Doctor Who fans’ theories about Mrs Flood?
X (formerly Twitter) is currently awash with Mrs Flood theories arguing that Ruby’s neighbor is really another Doctor Who character in disguise. Popular candidates include classic villains the Master and the Rani, as well as former companion River Song.
“What brings a flood? The Rain,” wrote one X user. “What’s an anagram of Rain? Rani.” “Melody Pond. River Song. Mrs Flood. Calling it now,” added another, referencing Song’s birth name. “Has anyone else spotted how TARDIS-like Mrs Flood’s front door is?” asked a third. “Maybe she is the Master, as doesn’t the Chameleon Circuit on his/her/their TARDIS work?”
It’s worth noting that all of these Mrs Flood theories remain pure speculation for now. We’ll update this page with any new information about the character as it becomes available.
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road is now streaming on BBC iPlayer (UK & Ireland) and Disney+ (everywhere else).
