'There is a definitive answer': Doctor Who's Russell T. Davies told us what inspired the recurring snow mystery and explained its impact on Ruby and the Doctor

Spoilers for the first three episodes of Doctor Who first season with Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. If you haven’t seen them, you can stream them with a Disney+ subscription.

A new era of Doctor Who is booming on the TV schedule 2024, which means the legendary Time Lord takes us on tons of unexpected adventures and takes us along with him as he solves mind-boggling new mysteries. Although I obviously have questions about Pantheon of Villains and at one point we were theorizing about if the Maestro was the Masterarguably this season’s biggest mystery worth theorizing about, surrounds the snow that has fallen around Ruby in every episode thus far.

So when I had the chance to talk with showrunner Russell T. Davies about the series, I had to ask him about the origins of snow, and what we should expect from it as the season progresses.

First of all, I won’t leave you hanging and neither will Russell. When I asked him about snow, he immediately told me that we will have answers this season, which is exciting! In his words:

I mean, there is a meaning, there is a significance, it will be explained. It won’t be one of those boring mysteries where at the end of the season you’re like, “Ahh, keep watching.” We will continue this mystery. There is a definitive answer. It’s supposed to be a mystery.

Now, while he didn’t want to reveal the details of the snow and the larger meaning it has, the showrunner explained how he came up with the idea and teased what’s to come in the new season of Doctor Who continues to be broadcast.

Ruby Sunday enveloped in music hanging in the air in Doctor Who with snow falling around her.

(Image credit: Disney+)

Russell T. Davies explains how he invented snow

If you’ve seen the first three episodes featuring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in the lead role of the Doctor Who casting, then you know that snow has fallen around Ruby and the Doctor in moments when the companion is in grave danger. Apparently the snow is linked to the day it was found on Ruby Road, and Davies emphasized this point by saying:

In fact, I remember the moment I thought about it. I wanted the memories of Ruby’s birth to continue to shine through as a child. She is abandoned like a child found on a church doorstep in the snow at midnight.

Davies then told me that in the episode “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” – which aired June 14 – someone explains the mystery of snow as “a bit Dickensian.” Continuing, he said that this story element adds a “romantic fairy tale quality” to the show, which I love.

The showrunner later told me that the idea for snow came to him when he realized he wanted something to happen whenever Ruby’s childhood was brought up, which usually also happens during life-threatening moments. Speaking about this and the questions it raises, Davies said:

One day I had the idea: “What does she remember?” What if the snow continues to break through with her until today and every time she remembers her childhood, the snow breaks out?’ Well, every time the Doctor talks about his childhood, the snow bursts.

It becomes apparent that the snow is somehow connected to Ruby’s birth and origin. At the moment, even the Doctor is baffled by his companion and her origins, and Davies explained that this mystery is incredible and worth the wait.

A close-up of Ruby Sunday's face as it snows.

(Image credit: Disney+)

Russell T. Davies Promises Snow Mystery ‘Delivers and More’

Although Russell T. Davies couldn’t give me any details about snow and why it features heavily in the series – as he rightly said he didn’t want to reveal any spoilers – there is one “terrible future threat” linked to it. . We’ve seen this sinister cloaked figure on the road Ruby was left on, and the snow keeps appearing at very crucial times. With all this in mind, the showrunner explained:

I will say that this is becoming more and more worrying. And you’ve already started to see the memories shift, where we get a glimpse of Ruby’s mother, or is it Ruby’s mother? This is definitely the person who leaves the baby on the doorstep, it seems. Who is it? What’s the mystery in this? And it’s a huge backbone for Ruby. And I can promise you, it’s my job to promote this stuff. But I can sincerely promise you absolute satisfaction with this story. It offers and much more.

So we can expect the snow to have dark origins, and it looks like the Doctor and Ruby have a very intense journey ahead of them. However, as the showrunner confirmed, we will know why Snow is following the Time Lord’s companion by the end of this season.

To see how this snow mystery is solved, you can stream new episodes of Doctor Who every Friday on Disney+ at 7 p.m. ET.