Doctor Who: 17 Easter Eggs & References In Season 14 Episodes 1 & 2

May 12, 2024, 11:20 p.m.

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Doctor Who: 17 Easter Eggs & References In Season 14 Episodes 1 & 2

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WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Doctor Who, season 14, episodes 1 & 2, "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord"!

Summary "Space Babies" is filled with callbacks, ties to Gallifrey events, and the introduction of new characters, setting up future plot twists.

References to the Rani, Time Lords' destruction, and the Timeless Child subplot add depth and intrigue to the ongoing narrative.

Connections to Doctor Who composers, Beatles references, and surprise appearances by familiar faces enhance the themes of "The Devil's Chord".

Although billed as a fresh start for the series, Doctor Who season 14, episodes 1 and 2 are crammed full of Easter eggs and references to the 60-year history of the show. In episode 1, "Space Babies", the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) takes Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) on her first trip in the TARDIS, landing aboard a space station operated by a crew of infants. Then it's back to 1963 for an adventure involving the Beatles, and the terrifying Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon). Returning to the year of Doctor Who's birth means that the floodgates are open for a deluge of callbacks.

While "Space Babies" won't go down as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, there is a lot to enjoy, particularly how the Timeless Child revelations influence Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and his interactions with both Ruby and the titular tots. Meanwhile, a return to London in 1963 inevitably leads to some big callbacks that prove Doctor Who season 14 is far from the clean slate that fans may have expected. Whether these callbacks and Easter eggs are fan service or pivotal to the overall story of the enigmatic Ruby Sunday remain to be seen.

Related Doctor Who Season 14 Cast & Character Guide: Who Appears In Each Episode Doctor Who season 14 is Ncuti Gatwa's first full outing as the Doctor, but the episodes bring back familiar faces as well as introduce new ones.

17 The Rani

The Time Lords love a posh title.

The Doctor mentions "The Rani" in his expository monologue about the history of Gallifrey and the Time Lords. Played by Dynasty's Kate O'Mara, the Rani was the renegade Time Lord geneticist who menaced the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in The Mark of the Rani and Time and the Rani respectively. Every time a high profile actress is cast in Doctor Who, fans inevitably speculate that they'll be playing a regenerated Rani. This latest reference will only reignite calls for the Rani's return later in Doctor Who.

16 Gallifrey Is Gone

The Doctor mentions the Master's Time Lord genocide.

The Doctor wastes no time in telling Ruby that Gallifrey no longer exists, referencing the genocide committed by the Master (Sacha Dhawan) before Doctor Who season 12. The Master's destruction of Gallifrey wasn't long after the planet was saved from destruction during Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor". Later, in Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord", the Doctor reveals that the Master's genocide swept "across time and space like a great, big cellular explosion." This means that other Time Lords who weren't on Gallifrey at the time of the Master's attack were also killed.

15 The Timeless Child

"I was adopted, and the planet that took me in, they were kind of posh."

The story of the Timeless Child gets a few references in Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies", as it provides the Doctor with a means to connect with both Ruby and the abandoned intergalactic infants. Unsurprisingly, the Doctor skims over the cruel experiments conducted on them by Tecteun (Barbara Flynn) to unlock the secrets of regeneration. It's a dark element of his backstory that would likely scare Captain Poppy far more than the Bogeyman. However, it's great to see RTD build on Chris Chibnall's revelations about the Doctor's adoption to create strong character moments.

14 The Butterfly Compensation Switch

"Who steps on a butterfly?"

The scene in which Ruby worries about the butterfly effect follows in the footsteps of previous Doctor Who companions like Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie). Unlike those companions, Ruby briefly falls victim to the butterfly effect in Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies", becoming a sort of half-reptile, half-insect creature. The Doctor saves the butterfly and gets time back on track, but crucially, he reveals another unique feature of the TARDIS. He turns on the butterfly compensation switch, which mitigates the butterfly effect, explaining how Martha and Bill avoided a similar fate to Ruby.

Related Ncuti Gatwa Almost Breaks An Untouchable Doctor Who Rule In Season 14 Many of Doctor Who's rules are flexible while some are upheld through thick and thin, but one of Gatwa's first appearances nearly features a faux pas.

13 "Two, One, Five Oh..."

2150 is not a good year in Doctor Who history.

When the Doctor asks Ruby where she wants to go next, she selects the numbers two, one, five and zero. 2150 is the year of the Dalek invasion of Earth, depicted in the classic William Hartnell serial, and its movie adaptation, Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD. There's definitely a faintly detectable trace of apprehension when the Doctor repeats the final zero, only for Ruby to throw in a final six, which sends the TARDIS to the year 21506, millennia after the Dalek invasion, and lightyears away from the planet Earth.

12 Ruby's Time And Space Phone

RTD resurrects a device from his previous era.

There are moments in "Space Babies" that feel like Russell T Davies repeating past glories, and nowhere is this more obvious than the scene where the Doctor sonics Ruby's phone. The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) did the same for Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in Doctor Who season 1, episode 2, "The End of the World", so that she can phone her mother billions of years in the past. The Fifteenth Doctor does the same thing here, allowing Ruby to call her mum in 2024 from the year 21506.

11 The Flux

"Most of the universe is knackered babes."

Despite what his most vocal critics may have wanted, Russell T Davies was never going to erase Chris Chibnall's changes to Doctor Who. As well as referencing the Timeless Child, "Space Babies" also wryly references the aftermath of the Flux. The Flux was a major moment for Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor, devastating much of the universe across multiple time zones. Or, as the Fifteenth Doctor says to Ruby; "Most of the universe is knackered, babes."

10 Susan Twist's Cameos Explained

Who is the mysterious woman following the Doctor and Ruby?

Doctor Who season 14, episodes 1 and 2 both feature appearances by actress Susan Twist, playing a mysterious character who appears to be following the Doctor and Ruby through time and space. The Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) first met this character when she was Mrs Merridew, the housekeeper of Sir Isaac Newton (Nathaniel Curtis) in "Wild Blue Yonder". Since then, she's appeared as an old rocker in "The Church on Ruby Road", one of the space station staff in "Space Babies", and one of the canteen staff in "The Devil's Chord". Whether she's Doctor Who season 14's big bad, or a harbinger of something larger, remains to be seen.

Related 8 Best Theories About Doctor Who Season 14's Mystery Woman Millie Gibson's Doctor Who companion Ruby Sunday is very much a mystery right now. Here are all the biggest theories explaining who abandoned her...

9 "Tell Your Mother Not To Slap Me"

Companions' mothers aren't big fans of the Doctor.

There's a history of mothers slapping Doctors in Russell T Davies' Doctor Who. It's a trend that, thus far, Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor has avoided. In Doctor Who season 1, episode 4, "World War Three", Jackie Tyler (Camille Codouri) slapped the Ninth Doctor for "kidnapping" her daughter, and then in "The Lazarus Experiment", Martha's mother Francine (Adjoa Andoh) slapped the Tenth Doctor to warn him off her daughter.

After Doctor Who, Adjoa Andoh went on to star as Lady Agatha Danbury in Bridgerton, opposite Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Nan-E in "Space Babies".

Years later, in the first Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, Sylvia Noble (Jacqueline King) slapped the Fourteenth Doctor to protect Donna from seeing his face. However, even after wrecking considerable chunks of her flat, Carla Sunday (Michelle Greenidge) hasn't slapped the Fifteenth Doctor in the face yet. However, given that he's already secretly running TARDIS scans on Ruby, he may end up on the wrong side of Carla later in the series.

8 Timothy Drake (Jeremy Limb)

The music teacher in "The Devil's Chord" has a link to Doctor Who's soundtrack.

Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord" is all about the importance of music to the world, and much of the casting reflects this. Case in point, actor Jeremy Limb, who plays the unfortunate Timothy Drake, the first victim of Jinkx Monsoon's Maestro. Jeremy is the son of Roger Limb, a member of the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop, who composed multiple scores for Doctor Who during the 1980s, including those for "The Caves of Androzani" and "Revelation of the Daleks". Jeremy Limb's connection to Doctor Who music lends an extra dimension to Maestro hammering out the theme tune on the late Timothy Drake's piano.

Doctor Who Stories Scored By Roger Limb The Keeper of Traken (1981) The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) Four to Doomsday (1982) The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) Black Orchid (1982) The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) Time-Flight (1982) The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) Arc of Infinity (1983) The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) Terminus (1983) The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) The Caves of Androzani (1984) The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) Revelation of the Daleks (1985) The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)

7 The Beatles

Doctor Who and The Beatles grew up together.

Both huge UK cultural icons, The Beatles and Doctor Who both rose to prominence in 1963, something acknowledged in "The Devil's Chord". Although the Doctor says he's never gone to see The Beatles, he did once use a TARDIS gadget to screen a performance of "Ticket to Ride" for his companions. In "The Chase", the First Doctor (William Hartnell) trials a Time and Space Visualiser, a TV that can screen any moment from history. It's the Doctor's futuristic teenage companion Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) who selected The Beatles, proving that the band truly are timeless.

Related Who Plays The Beatles & Cilla Black In Doctor Who Season 14 Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord," features legends of the Liverpool music scene from the 1960s, creating a sense of realism.

6 Cilla Black

Liverpool's other musical icon, Cilla Black (Josie Sedgwick-Davies) also has connections to Doctor Who via Third Doctor actor Jon Pertwee. Both Pertwee and Cilla Black starred together in Little Red Riding Hood, a pantomime in 1965, two years after "The Devil's Chord" was set. Decades later, Cilla Black became a TV presenter in the UK, hosting shows like Blind Date and Surprise Surprise. In April 1996, a month before he died, Jon Pertwee made one of his last TV appearances alongside Cilla Black, surprising a young Doctor Who fan.

5 Totter's Lane And Susan Foreman

The Doctor reminisces about his granddaughter.

Looking out across London from the roof of Abbey Road, the Doctor reveals to Ruby that his first incarnation is currently living across town in a junkyard with his granddaughter. It's in this scene that the Doctor suggests Susan might be dead in Doctor Who, as a result of the Master's genocide. As the only member of the Doctor's family that audiences have spent time with in Doctor Who, it emphasizes that Ncuti Gatwa's incarnation may truly be alone. Or, alternatively, that RTD is setting up an emotional reunion between grandfather and granddaughter.

4 Chris Waites And The Carollers

They're Doctor Who's version of The Quarrymen.

The deepest of deep-cut Doctor Who references in "The Devil's Chord" is the faded billboard advertising the "sensational new record" from Chris Waites and the Carollers. In Doctor Who's very first episode, back in 1963, Ian Chesterton (William Russell) acknowledges the Carollers as the forerunners to John Smith and the Common Men, the band that Susan is listening to in her first scene. The faded state of Chris Waites' billboard is an acknowledgment that the fictional Doctor Who band would fade into obscurity following the release of the first album by The Beatles.

3 June Hudson

The former Doctor Who costume designer gets killed by Maestro.

Playing the old lady pianist is June Hudson, who was a costume designer on Doctor Who during the Tom Baker era. Hudson was responsible for the design of many of the costumes worn by both versions of Romana in Doctor Who, and the iconic burgundy outfit for Tom Baker's final season as the Doctor. Hudson became an actor in later life, and has appeared in the short-lived Doctor Who spinoff Class and the recent Olivia Colman movie Wicked Little Letters. Casting director Andy Pryor offered June Hudson the role without an audition, finally fulfilling her ambition to act in the show.

June Hudson was offered the role of Mrs Pitt in Mummy on the Orient Express, but had to turn it down. Mrs Pitt was instead played by Janet Henfrey, who had previously appeared in Doctor Who as Miss Hardaker in "The Curse of Fenric".

2 Ruined London Is A Pyramids Of Mars Callback

Could Sutekh return to Doctor Who?

The Doctor's decision to take Ruby back to 2024 to show her the stakes involved in fighting Maestro is another callback to the Tom Baker era. In the 1975 serial "Pyramids of Mars", the Fourth Doctor takes Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Marcus Scarman (Michael Sheard) to the future to show them what would happen if villainous Egyptian god, Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) wins. It's a classic Doctor Who moment that RTD originally wanted to remake during his first era, so it makes sense for him to do it here.

However, the mention of a Pantheon of the Gods does create the possibility that this is a deliberate reminder of "Pyramids of Mars" to tease the return of Sutekh. Maestro is terrified of "The One Who Waits", who it's said was present at the birth of Ruby Sunday. In "Pyramids of Mars", Sutekh was trapped on the Red Planet, forced to wait until one of his acolytes attempted to resurrect him. The Fourth Doctor and Sarah defeated Sutekh, but presumably he's still waiting to return almost 50 years later.

1 Murray Gold On The Piano

The current Doctor Who composer joins the big musical number.

Making a brief cameo during the big musical number at the end of "The Devil's Chord" is current Doctor Who composer Murray Gold. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, Murray Gold hammers out the tune of "There's Always A Twist (At The End)" on piano. Gold returned to the show to work again with his frequent collaborator Russell T Davies, and has already composed some great pieces. The Fifteenth Doctor's theme, and Ruby Sunday's theme - a heartbreaking piano version of which is played by Ruby herself - are up there with some of his best work. In an episode that celebrates the importance of music, it was only right that Murray Gold made an appearance right at the end.

Episode Disney+ Release Date "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord" May 10 "Boom" May 17 "73 Yards" May 24 "Dot & Bubble" May 31 "Rogue" June 7 "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" June 14 "Empire of Death" June 21