Is Mrs. Flood A Time Lord? Doctor Who's Mystery Character Explained

Introduction

The Doctor Who Christmas Special, 'The Church on Ruby Road,' introduced Anita Dobson as Mrs. Flood - a mysterious new character who is surely destined to return. The time of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor has finally arrived, with the Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday going up against quasi-mystical monsters in 'The Church on Ruby Road.' Ruby Sunday is positioned as a mystery companion, a foundling whose true origin is still unknown.

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in the Doctor Who 2023 Christmas special

But the Doctor Who Christmas Special also set up what is clearly a recurring character - Anita Dobson's Mrs. Flood. Teased as Ruby's nosy next-door-neighbor, Mrs. Flood initially harangued another neighbor over the mysterious police box that materialized in her way, before later revealing to viewers that she knew it was a TARDIS all along. It's currently unknown whether she'll be an ally or an enemy in Doctor Who season 14 and beyond - but either possibility is tremendously exciting.

Doctor Who Mrs Flood in the Christmas Special

Mrs. Flood: Time Lord or Something Else?

Using Occam's Razor, the simplest explanation for Mrs. Flood's knowledge is that she is in fact another Time Lord. This would certainly be an unexpected twist, because the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials seemed to confirm the Time Lords had been wiped out. In one scene, the Toymaker - a being of almost unlimited power and knowledge - referred to the Doctor as the last of the Time Lords. But, while such a comment follows on well from the events of Doctor Who season 12 (in which the Master destroyed Gallifrey again), the Toymaker could well have been lying.

The Doctor on Skaro outside the TARDIS in Doctor Who

Time Lords are humanoids, meaning they can easily fit in with human civilization. Their TARDISes have actually been able to disguise themselves as actual houses, even materializing around other objects they were duplicating, so it's even possible Mrs. Flood's house is another TARDIS. She could potentially be a Time Lord, one who knew Ruby Sunday would cross paths with the Doctor, who had decided to monitor this... for an as-yet-unrevealed reason.

Doctor Who's the Timeless Child as a little girl wearing yellow, on a planet with a purple sky

In 'The Giggle,' the Toymaker revealed he had defeated the Doctor's greatest nemesis - the Master - and imprisoned him in a gold tooth. This tooth was left behind when the Toymaker was banished from this dimension, and it was picked up by an unknown female hand. It's entirely possible this is Mrs. Flood, and that she is somehow connected to the Master. If that's the case, then it's likely her agenda is a dangerous one for the Doctor and Ruby.

A hand picks up the Master's tooth in The Giggle

Exploring Other Possibilities

Alternatively, it's possible Mrs. Flood isn't just another Time Lord; she could be an incarnation of the Doctor. Doctor Who's recent bi-generation meant there are now multiple Doctors running around, and showrunner Russell T. Daveis has confirmed this rippled down through the timeline - meaning previous Doctors could themselves have undergone further regenerations. Meanwhile, the Timeless Child retcon means there are an unlimited number of pre-William Hartnell Doctors, and Mrs. Flood could be one of those.

Doctor Who The Giggle Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker

One popular theory on social media is that Mrs. Flood could be a very specific Time Lord from the classic Doctor Who series - the Rani, a ruthless renegade who loves conducting experiments on what she perceives as lower life-forms. There's no evidence to support this theory at this point, other than the fact there are few prominent female Time Lords who would conceal their identities from the Doctor. For now, this can definitely be considered a possibility.

Doctor Who Rani

One subtle detail in the design of Mrs. Flood's house; it has a blue door, reminiscent of the Doctor's TARDIS. This is just the kind of clue showrunner Russell T. Davies loves to plant, making it seem like far more than a mere coincidence. As noted, TARDISes have disguised themselves as houses before, and even materialized around objects; the Master's TARDIS once disguised itself as Concorde, materializing around the real plane. This blue door may well be a hint the Time Lord theory is true, and even a nod to a Doctor connection.