Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 1 villain explained: Who is The Bogeyman?

Here’s everything you need to know about The Bogeyman, the villain of Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 1, including how the Doctor defeats it.

The new season of Doctor Who has finally arrived, bringing back the Doctor and his latest companion, Ruby Sunday. The time-travelling duo begin their first adventure by landing on an abandoned space station stuck in the atmosphere.

Sounds like a simple enough way to kick off Doctor Who Season 14, right? Well, in reality, ‘Space Babies‘ is a bizarre first episode that sees The Doctor and Ruby caring for a group of abandoned (and talking) babies as the threat that hides in the pipes of the station — dubbed “The Bogeyman” — looms ever-closer.

But who (or what) is the Bogeyman exactly, and how does the Doctor defeat this debut villain? Here’s what you need to know. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 1!

The Bogeyman explained

The Bogeyman is a monster-like creature that resides in the lower levels of the space station in Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 1, ‘Space Babies’.

It’s a creature created by the ship’s system, since the ship takes the babies’ needs very literally and creates a childhood monster for them to be afraid of. This is the reason that even the Doctor is afraid of the Bogeyman — it was designed with a purpose to be terrifying.

The Bogeyman was created using the residue snot from the babies’ tissues, taken after the system blows their noses. Because of this, the Doctor views the monster as being one of the babies itself.

It appears as a monster, with slimy skin and a large, looming figure. It can run around quickly on all fours, chasing after the Doctor and Ruby. But its most terrifying feature is a large, gaping mouth with several rows of extremely long, sharp teeth.

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In real life, stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson weren’t actually scared of the Bogeyman at all. In fact, they became rather “attached” to the actor who played it.

“You get attached to them,” Gatwa told SFX Magazine. “The second monster that we met was very terrifying to begin with. But then we just fell in love with the chap that was playing the Bogeyman.”

How does the Doctor defeat the Bogeyman?

He doesn’t — instead, the Doctor empathizes with the Bogeyman for being the last of its kind, and he saves it from the airlock while Ruby Sunday convinces NAN-E to stop trying to get it sucked out into space.

Because the Doctor can acknowledge that the monster was created from the babies, he makes an effort to protect it. While Nan-E (Jocelyn) attempts to shoot it out into space using an air duct, the Doctor goes inside with it and reaches the button to shut the door.

As he does this, Ruby runs upstairs to stop Jocelyn, which she does. Afterwards, the babies celebrate the return of the Bogeyman, realizing themselves that they need him. A happy ending for all!

Check out our guide for full breakdown of the Episode 1 ending explained. Otherwise, find out when the next episode of Doctor Who is out. You can also read our review of Doctor Who Season 14: ‘The Devil’s Chord’.