Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“SPACE BABIES: DIAPERS, DANGER, AND THE DOCTOR'S NEW ERA BEGINS”

Space Babies properly kicks off the Disney era of Doctor Who, introducing the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday's first adventure together. Following directly from The Church on Ruby Road, the episode wastes no time in giving Ruby the obligatory TARDIS crash course—what the ship is, who the Doctor is, and the rules of time travel. It’s a well-worn staple of the show, but it’s done efficiently and playfully enough to work as a reintroduction for new audiences.

The brief detour before arriving at the space station, where Ruby steps on a butterfly and momentarily transforms into an alien, is an amusing way to establish the mechanics of time travel. However, it ultimately feels like an isolated gag, with no real impact on the episode’s plot.

BABIES… IN SPACE!

The story itself has a wonderfully Doctor Who-ish premise: a seemingly abandoned space station that turns out to be run by highly intelligent talking babies. Before that reveal, however, we get an effective monster moment with the Bogeyman—a shadowy, menacing presence that adds an early layer of tension. The mystery unfolds at a steady pace, capturing the classic feel of Doctor Who space adventures while also setting up the emotional themes of the season.

Ruby and the Doctor’s dynamic is already sharp, with Ruby proving to be quick-thinking and clever under pressure. The story also takes time to flesh out this incarnation of the Doctor, reinforcing his compassion and moral stance early on—especially in his decision to save the Bogeyman despite its nature as a monster. This echoes past Doctor-defining moments, such as Eleven sparing the Star Whale in The Beast Below and Twelve’s plea for mercy in The Witch’s Familiar.

A GAG WITHOUT A PAYOFF

The running joke about "pushing the button" makes little sense, mainly because the scene that introduced it—a little moment where the Doctor and Ruby danced to Push the Button by Sugababes—was left on the cutting room floor. Without that context, the recurring phrase feels random rather than funny.

On a more positive callback, the Doctor upgrading Ruby’s phone to work across time and space mirrors Nine doing the same for Rose in The End of the World, a neat touch that subtly ties this new era to the show’s past.

VISUALS, BABY TALK, AND THE NATURE OF AI

Visually, this episode is stunning. The space station exteriors look breathtaking, and the set design captures both the sterile, mechanical feel of a high-tech facility and the strange absurdity of a baby-run spaceship. However, the CGI used for the babies’ mouth movements falls into uncanny valley territory, making them look unsettling rather than endearing. Coupled with somewhat wooden voice performances, the baby characters don’t quite land as well as they should.

Thematically, Space Babies plants the seeds for the overarching season arc. Themes of family, adoption, and feeling abandoned are deeply intertwined with both the baby characters' predicament and Ruby’s own ongoing mystery. Additionally, the episode touches on AI dependency and budget cuts—both timely concerns in real-world discussions. Doctor Who has always been at its best when blending sci-fi with social commentary, and Space Babies does a decent job of weaving those themes into its narrative.

NAN-E, BLEEPING SWEAR WORDS, AND THE POWER OF FICTION

Golda Rosheuvel shines as Nan-E (or Jocelyn), the babies’ only real guardian. She brings warmth, humour, and kindness to the role, making her a standout supporting character. The "Nan-E Filter," which censors any swearing with a loud "bleep," is a fun gag that adds a bit of levity.

There’s also an interesting undercurrent about the power of fiction, as the babies learn that their supposed "uselessness" is actually their greatest strength—something that ties neatly into both the Doctor Who ethos and the larger themes of the season.

SNOT MONSTER—MOFFAT VIBES OR TOO SILLY?

The concept of a monster made out of snot has a very Steven Moffat-esque quality—taking something mundane and making it terrifying. The Bogeyman’s design is effectively grotesque, but it doesn’t quite become an instant-classic monster. It’s a fun idea, though, and serves the story well enough.

📝VERDICT: 7/10

While Space Babies leans a bit too far into the childish side at times, it successfully establishes the themes of the season and the dynamic between the Doctor and Ruby. The visuals are fantastic (except for the odd baby CGI), the mystery is engaging, and there are plenty of fun moments—though some gags, like the "push the button" joke, feel incomplete.

It’s an exciting, whimsical, and occasionally heartfelt introduction to this new Doctor Who era. Not perfect, but a solid start.