Anita Dobson promises Season 2 will reveal all about Mrs. Flood

Whether you loved it or hated it, Season One of Doctor Who introduced a lot of mysteries. While many were solved by the introduction of Sutekh and the other Gods, one was left very much open to interpretation: Who is Ruby's mysterious neighbor, Mrs. Flood?

There have been theories since her first appearance in "The Church on Ruby Road," which we'll discuss further, but nothing conclusive has been revealed yet. However, a new interview from actress Anita Dobson has promised that answers are on the way.

Dobson was speaking at Film and Comic Con Cardiff on October 19, where she took some time to talk about her Doctor Who character. Here's what she had to say, along with some prior comments on the character's future and the Internet's top theories.

Season 2 is full of reveals for Mrs. Flood

First things first, Dobson made fans quite an impressive promise, stating: "At the end of the next series, you will know everything about Mrs Flood." This fits in with her previous comments to Radio Times, where she stated, "This series [Season 2] you actually do find out quite a lot about her."

In her Cardiff comments, Anita Dobson explained that she was originally just told that her character would be a "nosy neighbor," a trope that has long existed but now tends to be code for 'mysterious person who knows way more than they should.' Of course, the most notable recent example is the MCU's Agatha Harkness, and the new ties between Doctor Who and Disney+ may be part of why similar versions of the trope appear in both worlds.

The new version of the nosy neighbor certainly fits Mrs. Flood, who fans have been trying to pin down since her first appearance. She breaks the fourth wall, knows about the Doctor and TARDISes, and has a tendency to wear costumes associated with former companions. It would be pretty difficult for fans to not want more information on such a character.

Apparently, Dobson went on a similar journey, mentioning that she only learned that her character was more significant when Russell T. Davies began making vague, foreshadowing comments about Mrs. Flood's future. She claimed that she finally realized who she was playing about a third of the way through working on the upcoming Season 2. This gives audiences a bit of a timeline as well, as they can likely also figure it out by that point, even if it won't be stated outright.

Mrs. Flood's identity was a mystery to Dobson as well

Whenever there is a character with this kind of mystery behind them, it's worth asking whether the actor in question held that information. One famous example of the actors having additional information is the Harry Potter series, where Alan Rickman knew more about Severus Snape's backstory than anybody else.

However, other productions choose to keep the actors in the dark as well so they can play the lie more convincingly. This seems to have been the chosen path with Anita Dobson, at least in the beginning. While she had (limited) access to the full scripts, she actually learned not to rehearse them in any particular way, as the directors would guide her in when to give more mysterious or sinister line readings.

Even after she learned who the character was, Dobson mentions that some lines seemed out of character or unusual for that point in the character's journey. So perhaps the promise of knowing everything next season is a bit over-exaggerated since there seem to still be mysteries the actor does not know the full extent of.

However, she told Doctor Who Magazine that Davies had a private conversation with her where he asked her to stay on with the show and gave her more information. While she has kept most of that close to her chest, she did suggest that the information was about "the character's psyche." Her motivations and history will be pivotal to her actions in the next season, and those details do seem to be known to Dobson, even if they weren't clear when she originated the character.

What clues do we have for Mrs. Flood's identity?

According to Davies, figuring out who Mrs. Flood is will be "the ride of a lifetime," and to have that experience properly, we've got to do some speculating. This is not the space for a comprehensive breakdown of everything we know about Mrs. Flood, but it's worth mentioning a few major plot points and clues from the first season.

Thus far, she has appeared in four episodes: "The Church on Ruby Road," "73 Yards," "The Legend of Ruby Sunday," and "Empire of Death." However, her role in "73 Yards" was minimal. Here are some of the key moments she appeared in, as well as a few theories based on the clues given.

The Church on Ruby Road

Mrs. Flood was first introduced in the 2023 Christmas special, where she seemed like a fairly innocuous woman, neighbor to Ruby. She interacted with the Doctor a couple of times, as well as commenting on the TARDIS itself when Ruby was trying to figure it out. She then directed Ruby to the TARDIS at the end of the episode, helping to make her the Doctor's newest companion.

All of these moments could mean anything, although the first thing that comes to mind is that Missy similarly directed Clara to the Doctor, delivering him a companion that would be both a gift and a curse. But the more memorable moment was in the middle of the credits when she spoke directly to the camera, cheekily asking, "Never seen a Tardis before?"

It's worth noting that the name TARDIS was given to the ship by Susan in the original series, so it's not relevant terminology for Time Lords except those that interacted with the Doctor. This means that Mrs. Flood has to either have had previous interactions with the Doctor (as a companion or a villain) or that she has some greater knowledge of the show, which fits a theory that she might be a God of Storytelling.

The Legend of Ruby Sunday

While she certainly knew more than was first apparent, Mrs. Flood still seemed fairly nice until "The Legend of Ruby Sunday." When Ruby and her mother went to UNIT, they asked Mrs. Flood to watch over Cherry Sunday. When she asked for a cup of tea, though, Mrs. Flood refused and referenced the impending arrival of Sutekh.

At this point, it seemed that she (like other characters this season) might have been working for Sutekh, perhaps as one of his avatars or harbingers. However, fans also theorized that she might be some version of former companion Clara Oswald, as she was dressed in an almost identical outfit.

Empire of Death

Theories that Mrs. Flood was working for Sutekh seemed to disappear when she, like the rest of the universe, was destroyed by his curse. But she continued her ominous behaviors just before her death, telling Carla: "Then tell your maker I will come to storm down his gates of gold and seize his kingdom in my true name. ... I'm sorry, you tiny little woman. I'm so, so sorry it ends like this. I had such plans."

That's not the sort of thing any random woman would say, certainly not with universal destruction on the way. Mrs. Flood seemed to know about Sutekh and his plan, and while they initially seemed to interfere with her own, it's hard to imagine she didn't know that they would be undone. One thing fans have pointed out is that her last lines were done in a very similar way to the Tenth Doctor's frequent apologies.

However, her "true name" was not revealed, nor was it clear who Carla's "maker" was meant to be. But it only got more confusing from there. When the Doctor saved everyone, Mrs. Flood called him "that clever boy," a phrase highly reminiscent of Clara's nickname for the Doctor. She then appeared at the very end in a costume that evoked both Mary Poppins (who Missy had modeled herself on) and Classic Who companion Romana.

"And that's how the story of the Church on Ruby Road comes to an end, with a very happy ending for little Ruby Sunday. But life goes on, doesn't it? Ruthlessly. And what happens, you might wonder. Oh, what happens to that mysterious traveler in Time and Space known as the Doctor? I'm sorry to say his story ends in absolute terror. Night, night."

- Mrs. Flood

Her comments continue the confusion, as she refers to all of Season One (and the adventures to come) as stories, speaking directly to the audience and using episode titles. Could she be the God of Stories, manipulating the Doctor's life in a similar vein to Supernatural? Or is she just teasing pain for him as many other villains have in the past?

Beyond those mentioned previously, fans have speculated that she might be the Rani, a Time Lady with connections to both the Doctor and the Master. She also had a habit of using companions' looks as disguises, which would fit her appearance thus far. With anagrams such a big feature of this season, it's not hard to see how "Rani" could become "Rain," and how "Rain" becomes a "Flood."

Dobson was asked at Comic Con Cardiff about whether her wardrobe had a meaning, to which she said, "[Davies] never does anything without a reason. ... I do think it's a clue." Despite that, there are some elements of the character that may never be fully explained. According to Russell T. Davies, her ability to break the fourth wall "hasn’t been explained, and it might never be, frankly."

Continuing the speculation, the water theme of her name also may allude to the Doctor's wife, River Song. After all, the big reveal of her identity came from the fact that "The only water in the forest is the river," which transformed her last name "Pond" into her new first name, "River."

Per some of the Big Finish stories in The Diary of River Song series, there were also other human-Time Lord hybrids created using River Song's DNA, all of whom went by water-related names. Could it be possible that Mrs. Flood is one of River Song's 'siblings,' seeking to succeed where she failed? Certainly. But we'll need more information before we know for sure.

One additional piece of information Dobson shared at Comic Con Cardiff is that season 2 will recontextualize "Space Babies," an episode that currently holds the lowest rating on IMDb for last season. What could the Notting Hill resident have to do with a spaceship in 21506? It seems only time will tell.

The new information from Anita Dobson provides some answers, but it mostly just serves to get the theory engine going again. Is Mrs. Flood a villain like the Rani or the Master, a former companion like Clara and Romana, or some entirely new entity? Could it even be that she's another version of the Doctor, either from before the Hartnell era or from after the current one?

Anything is possible at this point, but one thing is for sure. We'll be keeping a much closer eye on Mrs. Flood moving forward, with the upcoming Christmas special "Joy to the World" possibly offering answers... or more questions for the fan base to go mad over.