Critical popcorn

Following on from the recent Target novelisations of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials, BBC Books have published The Church on Ruby Road, which sees Russell T Davies‘ festive script adapted to prose by up-and-coming sci-fi author Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson.

The more fantastical atmosphere to The Church on Ruby Road lends itself perfectly to a novelisation, and together with its short, punchy chapters and eye-catching cover artwork by Lee Binding, make this novel feel aimed towards Doctor Who‘s younger audience. This isn’t to say that the writing is talking down to its audience – far from it – but that it feels a little bit more accessible than the ‘retro’ approach opted for with recent Target paperbacks. The fact that Ruby Road has been initially published in a new hardback design sets it apart from other Targets as well, almost acting as a replacement for the New Series Adventures novels (which ran from 2005 to 2018). As the story itself marks the start of a new era for Doctor Who, it’s nice to see this novelisation appealing as much to new readers as much as long-time fans.

Jikiemi-Pearson’s adaptation inevitably has a more breathing room than its TV counterpart, allowing for a bit more backstory for Ruby and the Sunday family, as well as delving into the Fifteenth Doctor’s psyche a little more – he’s clearly a more open and emotive Doctor, often referred to as ‘the dancing Doctor’ from his first meeting with Ruby – although the book’s narrative sticks with Ruby herself for the most part, letting us into her world before delving into the Doctor’s. There are potential clues as to the ongoing mysteries set-up in this story, while some deleted moments and lines of dialogue are reinstated, with references to U.N.I.T Tower, the Giggle and the Toymaker’s legions. A few plot points are made clearer on the page than on screen, with the climax in particular making a bit more sense (beyond simply looking dramatic). As fun as it is, the chart-topping goblin song doesn’t work quite as well on the page, although seeing it written down reminded me of the songs from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s The Hobbit.

All in all, this novelisation of The Church on Ruby Road makes for a nice way to revisit the Christmas Special in a new medium, as well as expanding on the story in some fun and interesting ways. It’s a faithful retelling from Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, and one I’d definitely recommend to younger fans. Some may be tempted to wait for an inevitable paperback edition, but the hardback looks great on the shelf – particularly with its gorgeous cover artwork. Hopefully we’ll see more novelisations from BBC Books from the upcoming 2024 series…

The Church on Ruby Road is available to order now here.