Every Doctor Who Easter egg in Space Babies and The Devil's Chord

The season 14 premiere made plenty of nods to the BBC show's past that fans will enjoy

Roxy Simons
·Entertainment Editor
·4-min read
Doctor Who (BBC)
Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who, which returned with a double-bill premiere. (BBC)

Doctor Who is back on our screens which means fans of the iconic BBC series will get the chance to explore new worlds and new adventures, but that doesn't mean there won't be nods to the past as well.

Ncuti Gatwa's first season as The Doctor began with Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, the first double-bill premiere for the series which means there's plenty to get stuck into. The first episode saw Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) land the TARDIS on a broken down space station where they are met with the babies who were left behind to man the ship.

The duo set out to help the babies and their caretaker Jocelyn (Golda Rosheuvel), particularly with a terrifying Bogeyman wreaking havoc in the lower decks. Meanwhile, The Devil's Chord sees the Doctor and Ruby face Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon), who they discover has rid the world of music when they visit the Beatles in the 1960s.

Here's the nods you may have missed in earlier episodes.

WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 00:00:01 on 26/10/2021 - Programme Name: Doctor Who S13 - TX: n/a - Episode: Doctor Who - Ep 1 (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: *NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL 00:01HRS, TUESDAY 26TH OCTOBER, 2021* The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER) - (C) BBC Studios - Photographer: James Pardon
Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, it was during her tenure that it was revealed the Time Lord is actually the Timeless Child. (BBC)

Chris Chibnall's era as showrunner featured one of the most surprising reveals about the Doctor yet — the Time Lord is not actually a Gallifreyan.

It was confirmed that the Doctor, before being the First Doctor, had lived many lives before as the Timeless Child, and was discovered by the Time Lords and adopted by them. The Doctor talks about this with Ruby in Space Babies when talking about feeling a connection to her and her own history as a foundling with a foster family.

Read more: Why is Doctor Who series 14 being rebooted as season 1?

At the same time, the Doctor continues to feel the weight of responsibility for the destruction of Gallifrey and the death of the Time Lords. This guilt over their demise has been a part of the character for a long time.

British actor William Hartnell originated the role of The Doctor in Doctor Who from 1963-1966. (PA/Alamy/BBC)
There was a reference to William Hartnell's Doctor and his first companion Susan. (BBC)

In The Devil's Chord, the Doctor and Ruby head to London's Abbey Road Studios (then called the EMI Recording Studios) to see the Beatles record their first studio album, only to realise that everyone has lost their desire to play inspiring music.

Whilst trying to figure out what is going on, the Doctor and Ruby have a heart-to-heart on the roof of the recording studio, where the Doctor tells his companion that in he is not the only version of the Doctor to be around in 1963. He explains that his predecessor is in Shoreditch, with his granddaughter, Susan.

This is as old an Easter egg as you can get, really, because it's a reference to the first Doctor and his very first companion — his grandaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford).

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023,25-12-2023,Christmas Special,Picture Shows: The Church on Ruby Road,**STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 12TH DECEMBER 2023**,BBC Studios 2023,James Pardon
The events of The Church on Ruby Road continue to play an important role in the new season. (BBC)

Jumping ahead to a more recent Easter egg, Doctor Who continues to be putting emphasis on the idea of coincidences, which was first introduced in the 2023 Christmas special.

This namely revolves around Ruby, who was left by her mother on the steps of a church on Christmas Eve and who has been surrounded by coincidences ever since. In The Devil's Chord, the Doctor brings up the idea of coincidences once again, particularly around Ruby's mother and how the universe is trying to tell them that they shouldn't pull on that thread.

Read more: What to expect from the Doctor Who series 14 premiere

How this will play out is yet to be seen, but Ruby's origins and her parents are clearly big questions going into the new season, and we may well have some answers by the end.

Doctor Who (BBC)
Doctor Who villain Maestro made reference to another group from the Doctor's past. (BBC)

Maestro is one of the most powerful villains to face the Doctor, and in their battle the celestial being makes a passing comment about the pantheon — of which they and the Toymaker have connections to.

The Pantheon has been referenced in Doctor Who before as beings who enjoy wreaking havoc across Time and Space. They were previously referred to as the Pantheon of Discord and they represent a group who hope to alter reality.

Maestro and the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) have already proved quite adept at this.

New episodes of Doctor Who season 1 will land on BBC iPlayer at midnight every Saturday, and will air on BBC One at 6pm.

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