Doctor Who season 14’s penultimate episode, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” provides the biggest clue yet about who Mrs. Flood really is, with Anita Dobson’s presence in the show being a mystery since her debut in the 2023 Christmas special. Dobson has dipped in and out of the Doctor Who season 14 cast, and “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” marks the third time she’s played the enigmatic Mrs. Flood. Although the episode still doesn’t confirm Mrs. Flood’s true identity, it does have her deliver a line of dialogue that makes one theory way more likely.
Ruby’s neighbor is one of a handful of mystery women in Doctor Who’s Disney era, with Susan Twist’s cameos, Ruby’s mother, and even Ruby herself serving as some of the other compelling enigmas. There have been several theories making waves in the Doctor Who fandom about all of these characters. “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” starts to unveil them all at once, but only Susan Twist’s real character is explained in any meaningful way. However, Mrs. Flood does have one scene that sheds some light on who she is.
Mrs. Flood Copies The Doctor’s Line About Time Lords In Doctor Who Season 14, Episode 7
Dobson’s character teases she isn’t human
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor finally has a talk with Ruby in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” which allows her to understand that he’s worn many faces before. Fifteen adds to the decades-old Doctor Who regeneration lore by telling Ruby that Time Lords can, “Hide [themselves] away.” This implies that Time Lords may have the ability to regenerate at will, rather than the process coming in the form of an involuntary reflex that the Doctor’s people possess to help them cheat death after being mortally wounded.
The episode barely lets this revelation settle before moving on to drop the biggest clue yet about Mrs. Flood, and it ties into the Doctor’s conversation with Ruby. When Mrs. Flood arrives to look after Ruby’s grandmother, she tells the Sundays, “It’s nice for me to get out. I’m always hiding myself away.” Dobson’s delivery of the line is especially pointed, and the similarity to the Doctor’s phrasing earlier in the episode feels too coincidental for Russell T Davies to have been included by accident.
Dobson’s delivery of the line is especially pointed, and the similarity to the Doctor’s phrasing earlier in the episode feels too coincidental for Russell T Davies to have been included by accident.
So, while the point being made by Fifteen is that Susan Triad could be his granddaughter in disguise, the reference could instead be about Mrs. Flood’s hidden identity. If so, it could be Davies quietly confirming that Mrs. Flood is a Time Lord rather than an ordinary human neighbor. That being said, the moment could just be a red herring to throw viewers off the scent. Alternatively, it could just actually be a coincidence.
Why Mrs. Flood Being A Time Lord Would Make Sense
Anita Dobson’s character has always had a suspicious amount of knowledge
If it turns out that Mrs. Flood is indeed a Time Lord, then this would be one of the more logical explanations for the unanswered questions that surround her. Firstly, she knows what a TARDIS is in “The Church on Ruby Road,” and even refers to the blue box by its name: “Never seen a TARDIS before?” This isn’t typically knowledge that an Earthbound human tends to have unless they have a history with the Time Lords themselves. Or, at the very least, a history with the Doctor.
With “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” focusing so strongly on the concept of regeneration when the Doctor is looking into who Susan Triad really is, it seems like too much of a waste not to have at least one new character who is a Time Lord and is hiding just as the Doctor describes to his companion. The concealed figure in question may not be the Doctor’s granddaughter, but it doesn’t remove Mrs. Flood from contention for belonging to that category.
Which Doctor Who Time Lord Characters Mrs. Flood Might Be
Mrs. Flood could be one of several Doctor Who characters in disguise
Even if Mrs. Flood is a Time Lord, she may be one of the evil ones. She almost seems to be relishing the pending arrival of Sutekh, so it’s unlikely she’s someone who would be willing to help the Doctor. So, it’s more believable that she’s one of the more nefarious Time Lords, so she could be a new incarnation of the Master, or maybe even the Rani could be set to return to Doctor Who. Alternatively, Mrs. Flood could be an iconic future regeneration of the Doctor – known as the Valeyard.
With Susan Triad confirmed as an avatar of Sutekh, this means it’s still possible for the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan Foreman, to make her first appearance in decades. The issue with Mrs. Flood being Susan in disguise is that it would likely require her to come back as a villain, which would be incredibly bold of Russell T Davies. As such, what’s more likely is that Mrs. Flood is playing a new Time Lord who has never appeared in Doctor Who before, even if that would arguably be an underwhelming twist.