Speaking to Doctor Who Unleashed, Davies said: “So that’s goodbye to Millie Gibson, except it’s not! You’d have to be mad to say goodbye to talent and a character like that!”
He added: “This is a pause. I genuinely felt Ruby’s story paused there. She couldn’t get all that information about her family, all that emotional overload, and run off in the TARDIS. It pauses there. She’s coming back.
“A new companion is coming in, but you’ll see the three of them together. Three people in this TARDIS fighting evil. There’s good stuff to come. There are really crucial stories for Ruby to come, and her family – the story of that family hasn’t finished yet – that will all make sense when you see it. So more to come.”
I wish we had a few more Jackie Tyler opportunities for Carla and Cherry. I was sort of bummed we didn’t get a hero moment for Carla in the finale — and Ruby going on about her “real mum” with Carla right there made me feel just awful for her.
For sure - that’s a possible side-effect of the shorter season.
To be honest, as good as Millie Gibson has been, I don’t feel like I’ve got a really good handle on Ruby as a character just yet, either.
Carla has been so supportive of Ruby’s search for her birth mother - a real unsung hero of the season.
I will say, though, that I interpreted one of Ruby’s references to “my real mum” as a reference to Carla. I think it might have been in episode seven, but I forget the details.