Doctor Who: Is Mrs. Flood Secretly SPOILER?
Is Iris Wildthyme finally headed to live action?
The first season of Doctor Who's Disney+ era is now complete, but plenty of questions still remain regarding the show's future. One of the biggest lingering mysteries concerns Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), a seemingly-ordinary neighbor of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) who was introduced in the 2023 Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road." Mrs. Flood's handful of appearances across Season 1, in which she has repeatedly broken the fourth wall, made bizarre comments, and worn outfits reminiscent of previous Doctor Who companions, have raised a lot of suspicion among fans. Theories have ranged from Mrs. Flood secretly being the latest incarnation of The Master, to an older version of Clara Oswald (Jenna Colman), to everything in between — but one new theory could uniquely shake up the world of Doctor Who. What if Mrs. Flood is secretly the live-action debut of the fan-favorite multimedia character Iris Wildthyme?
Who Is Iris Wildthyme?
Created by writer Paul Magrs in the unrelated 1995 novel Marked for Life, Iris Wildthyme is introduced as a novelist who has lived for longer than most humans — and who appears to die and be reborn as a baby by the novel's end. After appearing in more of Magrs' Phoenix Court franchise, Iris was folded into the extended Doctor Who universe of tie-in novels and short stories, and established to be a Time Lord who uses a double-decker bus as her TARDIS. She initially crosses paths with the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, and is revealed to already be an "old friend" of his. Various novels, stories, and later Big Finish audio dramas have recounted her exploits and multiple regenerations, which are often used to take a metatextual approach to The Doctor's own adventures and canon-breaking moments.
Despite being a popular part of Doctor Who's fan text, Iris Wildthyme has yet to make any sort of appearance in live action. The closest we've gotten is in the audio dramas and surrounding material, which former Doctor Who companion Katy Manning lends her voice and likeness to. But at the moment, a lot of similarities line up between Iris and Mrs. Flood — the fourth-wall breaking and knowledge of The Doctor's future definitely fall in line with Iris' self-aware existence in canon. Mrs. Flood's wardrobe choices, which have homaged Clara, Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), and Romana (Mary Tamm), could be an intentional move on Iris' part to gain the attention of The Doctor and the audience. A behind-the-scenes look at the suitcase she carried in Doctor Who's Season 1 finale is covered with travel stickers from across the galaxy — including Galifrey.
Mrs. Flood secretly being Iris Wildthyme would also line up with the approach that the Disney+ era has had to existing Doctor Who canon, promising something accessible to new viewers while also folding in more obscure lore along the way. With Season 2 of Doctor Who already having wrapped production, we hopefully won't have to wait too long to find out.
