WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Ncuti Gatwa emerged as the Doctor alongside Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday on Christmas Day 2023 in the Church on Ruby Road, and I thought it was quite an impressive first outing for them. Space Babies marks the start of their first series and the proper launch of the Disney+ era of Doctor Who, bringing the show to the sofas of many new fans. However, I thought the opening episode of Season 1 proved to be very poor and its juvenile tone didn’t jell or work at all with the drama of the episode. Let’s delve into why.
Space Babies carries on right from the end of the Church on Ruby Road with the Doctor taking Ruby on her first adventure in the Tardis. After a quick trip to see the dinosaurs, they end up at a space station in the far future where they discover a baby farm that is run by babies who have been abandoned by the crew. An accountant called Jocelyn is the only one remaining to take care of the children and keep them away from the Bogeyman stalking the decks below. Together, the Doctor and Ruby must come together and help these abandoned children.
Space Babies acts as an introduction to the vast silliness of the world of Doctor Who for the companion and the audience. It details the mystery and backstory of the Doctor, the function of the Tardis within the show, displays the basic formula and appeal and gives first time audiences everything they need to know to enjoy the show. Russell T Davies did this expertly previously in the End of the World and for the most part, I think he does it fairly well here and replicates the same approach. The storytelling and exposition have that same feeling of magic and adventure. The drawback is that it sometimes feels like the best hits of the End of the World, especially with the Doctor altering Ruby’s phone so she gets unlimited signal across all of time and space. This wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that it feels like the key moments were handled with more emotion and more effectively tied into a story about loss and guilt in the previous Russell T Davies era with more gravity and depth. That being said, the opening 15 minutes is still the best part of the episode.
Space Babies is a very Russell T Davies series opener in spirit. He likes a lively and silly story to grip audiences. This can work better in some instances than others as Rose and Partners in Crime got the balance of silliness and drama just right, but New Earth was a tonal misjudgement and very difficult to get through. Unfortunately, I think Space Babies aligns more with New Earth. I can respect the fact that Russell T Davies wanted to do something mad and bonkers as a demonstration of what Doctor Who can be, as it is a very silly show in some respects. However, I think he achieved that much better in the End of the World with the pure range of creatures and species displayed on Platform 1. Space Babies simply presents an absurd and incredibly cringey story that feels more off-putting and goofy rather than a spectacle of adventure. The whole concept feels so preposterous and laughable that you can’t take any of the drama in the story very seriously at all. The weirdness of the concepts just invades, contaminates and dilutes everything in the story which is sunk below the immaturity and crass and gross humour the episode presents.
The episode also has a very juvenile sense of humour. Russell T Davies has had a skill in the past of mixing silliness with darkness and scariness, which has succeeded wonderfully in bringing all the best parts of Doctor Who together. However, a part of Russell T Davies’s writing which I don’t like and connect with, is the immaturity in some of his lighter stories. I can enjoy silly concepts, but the fart jokes with the Slitheen and the immature humour with the Abzorbaloff go too far and don’t work for me. To be fair, I am not the target audience and maybe these jokes appeal to the audience they are aimed at. I can’t help feel though that it’s appealing to the lowest demographic of humour and feels contrived and unnecessary for the show. I don’t think Doctor Who needs to cater exclusively to children in order to be appealing to them, it’s a scary and frightful show. Using silly and immature jokes to draw kids in for me feels patronising and misjudges the intelligence of children. This was a part of Russell T Davies I hoped would be left behind in his second era.
A problem I think the story encounters is that the levity means there is a lack of stakes and turmoil. Intrigue exists with the Bogeyman lurking, but there is no development of events or clear danger to the story, which I think hurts the storyline itself and makes it feel very basic and not very interesting. It means things run out of steam very quickly. The Bogeyman is played by Robert Strange and has a very frightful and intimidating look, it has a very grotesque design which I appreciate. The story is leaning into the folklore of children’s stories, exploring fantasy concepts which this era seems to be centred around. The more open approach to fantasy is certainly interesting, but I do wish there had been more focus on the children’s story aspects which it feels was underdeveloped and abandoned.
The tension and drama of the creature is utterly ruined by the revelation that it is literally conceived by bogies. After this, I found it impossible for the creature to have any threat or drama. It reminded me of Sleep No More with the Sandmen being made from sleep in the corner of your eye. The concept is so bizarre, but not in a way that makes the creature scary or terrifying, it just feels gross and repulsive. A monster's concept should for me be all in the aim of building them to be as scary as possible. This feels like it’s aimed at making kids giggle, which is the wrong purpose for a monster in Doctor Who. There is also an attempt to try to make the Bogeyman sympathetic which I don’t think worked at all. The Doctor tries to save the Bogeyman with it being the last of its kind. The trouble is I didn’t feel I could invest, believe, or feel for the Bogeyman, given the fact that it is entirely made out of bogies. The sheer stupidity of it meant I really struggled to invest myself in what was going on. I also feel with the innocence of the babies, the story needed a scary monster to balance things out. Without a sense of threat, I feel that the episode lacked enough intensity and the whole thing felt too comforting and soft for me as a result.
This feels like a good moment to tackle the babies themselves. The concept of a baby farm is an idea I can appreciate. However, the idea of a baby farm run by babies is difficult to make work with any conviction and the story fails completely at pulling it off. I don't believe in the skill of these babies to run this space station competently by themselves. Given their skill and that they are the equivalent of six-year-olds, the way they are treated also feels very patronising. The innocence of the babies does not work at all. There are a few ways they could have tackled talking space babies, but the CGI of a child actor onto a baby’s face was always going to be awkward in results. You are reliant on poor and limited performances from child actors and horribly judged CGI. It means the babies feel both cringey and creepy, which I don’t think was the intended result. I can appreciate how the babies tie into the themes relating to Ruby’s struggle and identity being abandoned, and how Russell T Davies is perhaps alluding to the US abortion laws. However, with both the Bogeyman and the babies, the story has its hands full with goofy concepts and fails to make them work with any believability. I understand that Doctor Who is a very silly show, but its silliness comes through creativity. It uses a bonkers imagination as a springboard. Campiness and levity can’t exist on their own. The lack of conviction in the concepts is what ultimately fails the story, as I can’t invest and believe in what is going on. The story does not feel creative, but simply feels stupid, juvenile and incredibly thoughtless. That being said, Christopher Eccelston’s Series 1 had a similar lighter start as did the early years of the Sarah Jane Adventures. Both of them matured as the series and events darkened, and I’m sure the same will be the case here.
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor once again impresses with the sheer range in his emotional ability as an actor. I love the adventuring spirit and the glee, wisdom and energy which he brings to the character. You can tell that he is a man with great loss and experience on his shoulders, but through the Bi-generation he has come to a sense of peace. It brings a sense of age and gravity to the Doctor in his relationship with Ruby Sunday, which I adore. Through his loss comes his passion and sense of adventure; when he looks out into space, you can tell that he revels in his own joblessness and lack of responsibility. There is a loneliness to the Doctor but an eternal sense of freedom to his character. The energy and fun of his Doctor is personified here. The Fifteenth Doctor feels youthful and energetic in soul and spirit, but he lives through his passion for the universe and his mentality of living life to the fullest. The Doctor is a very daring, brave force who takes the most out of what the universe has offered him. There is optimism and lively adventure in him, which I appreciate a lot.
What I especially like about Ncuti Gatwa’s performance in this episode is the limitless sense of compassion and warmth which he has in his Doctor. The warmth and comforting manner in which he speaks to the babies presents him in a way I admire. It makes the Doctor a figure of acceptance who cherishes the individuality of everyone which is true to the character. His personal experience as an abandoned foundling has shaped who he is. His reading of a situation and the compassion of his actions now seems to be impacted by his place as someone who was adopted, which I like. Ncuti Gatwa’s open vulnerability, wildness and confidence in the way he invites Ruby onboard the Tardis makes him a Doctor I can’t wait to see more of.
Millie Gibson, as Ruby Sunday, continues on her journey as a companion and is a character I’m really enjoying. Millie Gibson brings the character to life with a lot of believability, energy and humour. Her reaction to the Tardis, the way she questions the Doctor and her wonder of everything around her is sold effectively through her facial expressions and performance. I like the way she feels for the Doctor and the genocide of his people and tries to see things through his viewpoint. Her empathy and care for the babies who have been abandoned links back to her personal experience of being abandoned, which tracks with her character. I especially like the emotion and fault she feels when Eric has put himself in danger. You can feel her journey and story cleverly unfolding. Millie Gibson’s energy fits really well with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor and they complement one another effectively.
The only real guest character of the story is Jocelyn, played by Golda Roshueuvel. Jocelyn is an accountant who has stayed behind long after the station was abandoned to look after the babies. I do like Golda Roshuevel’s performance and the no nonsense, determined, stubborn energy which she brings to the character. There is a gravity to her and a sense of self assurance and experience which compliments the story well. I like the humanity of the way she hides from the babies as a figure of authority out of not wanting them to see her die. It feels like a believable fear and decision.
Space Babies is directed by Julie Anne Robinson, whose previous work includes Orange is the New Black, the Good Place and Bridgerton. I love the opening shots of Ruby entering the Tardis as things pick up directly from the previous episode. The way it opens from her back as the Tardis comes into view was a great way to focus things inwards from her perspective. The natural movement of the frame towards the Tardis gives things human weight and drama. I like Julie Anne Robinson’s vivid and lively energy she brings to the visuals of the story. The handheld cam shots make things feel humanly rooted but very subtle. The frightful flickering of lights and the way the Bogeyman is presented in the shadows automatically gives them a very scary presence. Julie Anne Robinson naturally makes the story feel chaotic and real. However, the gentle camera movements and positioning of the frame during the exploration of the space station gives the scenes a natural movement and energy, which is well judged and feels like you are always experiencing things through a human and relatable perspective.
So, overall, how did I feel about Space Babies? I thought it was a disappointing way to kick-start the Fifteenth Doctor’s first season and caved to all the worst parts of Russell T Davies’s writing habits. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson are wonderful as the Doctor and Ruby, but the story around them falls apart entirely. The Bogeyman looks frightening, but the concept of a creature made out of bogies destroys any threat or credibility. The whole idea of space babies is so stupid and poorly handled that it becomes cringey and very difficult to watch at times. The juvenile humour and lack of threat just ruins the chances of the story. The comedy and crass humour does not work with the intended drama or emotion and unfortunately as a result it fails to hit the mark.
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