Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Doctor Who's 2024 Christmas special!

The 2024 Ruby Sunday departed from Doctor Who temporarily.

Though Nicola Coughlan’s Joy was meant to be the companion of the Doctor, the true companion in Doctor Who’s Christmas special was Anita – the manager of the Sandringham Hotel, where the time traveler gets stuck for a year. Though the Doctor is initially guarded, they develop a close relationship, spending one day talking and playing games. The montage of their “chair days” is emotional, sweet, and the best scene in the entire Christmas special. The Doctor seems truly heartbroken when they have to leave one another. Luckily, Doctor Who secretly reveals her fate after “Joy to the World.”

Doctor Who's Time Hotel Clue Suggests Anita Found Her Happy Ending After "Joy To The World"

Anita's Last Name Is Important To Her Possible Ending

Many shops appear inside the Time Hotel, and the most notable is called Mr. Benn’s Any Era Clothes. At first glance, the shop name and the whole Doctor Who Christmas special is a nod to a children’s TV show. Mr. Benn is a TV show that ran from 1971 to 2005 where the titular main character goes to a costume shop that transports him to different time periods and locations, depending on the costume he’s wearing. However, this shop name could also hint at Anita finding a happy ending. In the credits, Anita is listed as Anita Benn.

At the end of the Doctor Who Christmas special, the manager of the Time Hotel asks her to the staff. If she’s related to the Mr. Benn who owns the shop, then that means Anita likely found a happy ending after “Joy to the World.” She might have married the Mr. Benn who runs the store, hence the last name. It's nice to think that she found happiness after helping the Doctor learn to trust, connect, and be vulnerable again.

Doctor Who Needs To Reunite The Doctor & Anita In A Future Episode

Doctor Who Should Bring Back Steph De Whalley As Anita In A Future Episode

As great as Ruby Sunday is, the chemistry between Anita and Fifteen is different from anything viewers have seen. Their friendship feels more vulnerable, as if they’re each other’s closest confidants. It feels wasteful only to have them together onscreen for around 10 minutes. Russell T. Davies should bring Anita back together with the Doctor in Doctor Who. Her new job at the Time Hotel provides the perfect opportunity. She could come back for a one-to-two-episode arc, or he could pull a Donna Noble and bring her back for a longer run as the Doctor’s companion.

Donna Noble was only supposed to appear in the 2006 Doctor Who Christmas special, but RTD brought her back because fans loved the character.