Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution.”
Mrs. Flood may be responsible for selecting everyDoctor Whocompanion since Ian and Barbera during the First Doctor’s era, as this intriguing theory explains.Doctor Whoseason 15 is doubling down on theMrs. Flood mysteryin a big way. Anita Dobson’s character initially appeared as Ruby Sunday’s curious neighbor, but knowledge of the TARDIS and an ability to break the fourth wall soon marked Mrs. Flood out as a far more important figure.Doctor Whoseason 14 endedby teasing a bigger future for the Floodster, and she will be present in every single episode of season 15.
As such, Mrs. Flood returns inDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution.” Strangely, the enigmatic pensioner has settled down in the house directly next toDoctor Who’s new companion, Belinda Chandra, mirroring Ruby Sunday from season 14. Mrs. Flood’s interest in Belinda only raises further questions about her true nature, but after “The Robot Revolution,” I theorize that this strange entity isn’t just stalking the Fifteenth Doctor’s companions - she has been secretly picking who the Doctor travels with for a very long time.
Living Next To Belinda Proves Mrs. Flood Is Connected To Doctor Who Companions In General, Not Just Ruby Sunday
But How Does She Have The Money To Buy So Many Properties In Urban Areas?
Doctor Whoseason 15’s revelation that Mrs. Flood now lives next to Belinda Chandra prompts a vital question: “Are Ruby and Belindathe first companions Mrs. Flood has lived near?” While impossible to say for sure, certain clues dropped throughout herDoctor Whoappearances suggest not. Firstly,Mrs. Flood has been spotted wearing costumes identical to those made famous by previous companions, such as Romana’s white coat and Clara’s gray sweater. Mrs. Flood’s cosplays confirm that, at the very least, she is interested in companions from before the Fifteenth’s era.
It would hardly be a difficult retcon to claim that every single companion inDoctor Whohistory had a Mrs. Flood living nearby.
Secondly,Doctor Whoseason 15’s trailer seemed to show Mrs. Flood attending the Intergalactic Song Context, which strongly implies the character is capable of traveling through time - no great surprise, given the aura of power she exudes. IfMrs. Flood is interested in all the companions the Doctor has traveled withand also has the means to visit them in person, it makes sense to assume her hobby did not merely start with Ruby and Belinda, andMrs. Flood has actually been a neighbor to all prior companionstoo.
After all,Doctor Whonever bothered to reveal who Sarah Jane Smith lived next to, or Tegan Jovanka, or Yaz Khan. It would hardly be a difficult retcon to claim that every singlecompanion inDoctor Whohistory had a Mrs. Flood living nearby, even the characters who didn’t meet the Doctor on Earth. I can picture Mr. Flood occupying the hut next to Leela as part of the Sevateem tribe.
Theory: Mrs. Flood Isn’t Just Watching The Doctor’s Companions, She’s Choosing Them
Mrs. Flood Has Impeccable Taste In Companions
Before “The Robot Revolution,” one might have argued that Mrs. Flood posed as Ruby Sunday’s neighbor just to get a front-row seat to the Fifteenth Doctor’s battle against Sutekh. By placing herself next to Ruby, she was placing herself directly in the middle of the Doctor’s shenanigans. The same cannot be said for Belinda Chandra. Whereas Ruby’s house was a focal point of action throughoutDoctor Whoseason 14, Belinda is unable to even get back home. Aside from the initial abduction, Mrs. Flood isn’t getting a good view of the action by living next to Miss Chandra.
Perhaps as Rose’s neighbor, Mrs. Flood encouraged her to apply for a job at the department store where she would later meet the Ninth Doctor.
Additionally, Mrs. Flood sheepishly ducks out of the Doctor’s eyeline after Belinda departs, presumably because she fears being recognized as Ruby’s neighbor. If not to enjoy the spectacle,there must be another reason Mrs. Flood is inserting herself into these companions' lives, especially since she risks catching the Doctor’s attention by doing so.
Curiously, Mrs. Flood wishes Belinda luck as the young nurse gets dragged off by the Missbelindachandrabots, sending Fifteen’s new companion off with a smile. Flood did exactly the same with Ruby in “The Church on Ruby Road,” using more or less the same words. The similarity suggestsMrs. Flood has some degree of personal investment in these companions. She selects them, sets up their meetings with the Doctor, then waves them off as they begin their respective journeys through time and space - not always openly, but maybe some companions get a whispered “good luck” from the shadows.
Doctor Whoseason 15 has already cast a shroud of mystery around Belinda’s presence. In the final moments of “The Robot Revolution,” the Doctor reminds himself, and the audience, that he still hasn’t figured out who gave the robots Belinda’s star certificate in the future - the all-important item that led them to her in the first place. If Mrs. Flood was behind this, she was directly responsible for putting the Doctor and Belinda together, and might’ve done exactly the same for Ruby Sunday.
The Reality War
May 31
The Doctor and Ruby were brought into each other’s lives by goblins, butDoctor Whonever fully explained how these goblins - creatures of chance, magic, and coincidence - came to target Rubyin the first place. If Mrs. Flood is an eternal or one ofDoctor Who’s Pantheon members, it would fall within her sphere of influence to summon goblins. They were the Toymaker’s “legions” after all.
This pattern can be retroactively applied to past companions too. Perhaps as Rose’s neighbor, Mrs. Flood encouraged her to apply for a job at the department store where she would later meet the Ninth Doctor. Maybe Mrs. Flood convinced Vicki’s family to board the ill-fated UK-201, the wreckage of which would be found by the First Doctor, etc.
Why Mrs. Flood Might Be Choosing The Doctor’s Companions In Doctor Who
Is Mrs. Flood A Friend Or A Foe?
Speculatively, there are two main reasons why Mrs. Flood might wish to control who gets the honor of becoming a passenger in the TARDIS. The first is living vicariously through the companions she chooses. During her few scenes so far, Mrs. Flood has been depicted as a lover of stories, which could also explain how she breaks the fourth wall.Sending companions off to travel with the Doctor might be as close as Mrs. Flood gets to being a companion herself, experiencing the thrill and wonder of the TARDIS through the eyes of a humble Earth-dweller.
The second, and more sinister, reason Mrs. Flood might be picking the Doctor’s companions is as some kind of test. Despite remaining in the background, Mrs. Flood has struck a foreboding figure thus far, and was especially unpleasant to Cherry Sunday in season 14, implying some trace of malevolence to her designs.Each companion might be a way for Mrs. Flood to examine the Doctor’s morality, or even to toy with his emotions.
AsDoctor Who’s Toymakerso humorously demonstrated with his puppet display, the Doctor does not have a good record of keeping companions safe, and that issue rears its ugly head again after Sasha 55 dies in “The Robot Revolution.” Every time a companion gets killed, or is otherwise mistreated by their Time Lord friend, Mrs. Flood could be jotting down a big red X in her notebook.Doctor Whoseason 15 may be when Mrs. Flood’s test finally comes to an end, and the results are ready to be given.
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Doctor Who: Released on July 06, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
