loader from loading.io

TDP 1364: TV #Doctorwho review Lucky Day

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

Release Date: 05/06/2025

TDP 1368 TV #DoctorWho The Reality War show art TDP 1368 TV #DoctorWho The Reality War

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

    from tardi wiki   was the eighth and final episode of Series 15 of Doctor Who. It premiered on 31 May 2025. The story featured the return of Omega in an active role as an antagonist for the first time since the Fifth Doctor story Arc of Infinity [+], now voiced by Nicholas Briggs, with this story revealing Omega's time spent trapped in the Under-Universe had physically altered and deformed him into a monstrous corpse like being. The story also shows the apparent fate of the bi-generated Rani at Omega's hands, while the Mrs Flood incarnation of the Rani escapes shortly after...

info_outline TDP 1367: Wish World #DoctorWho Review (sorry about the quality) show art TDP 1367: Wish World #DoctorWho Review (sorry about the quality)

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

    sorry about the quality

info_outline TDP 1359: #DOCTORWHO REVIEW Hooklight Pt1 show art TDP 1359: #DOCTORWHO REVIEW Hooklight Pt1

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

  This title was released in April 2025. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 31 May 2025, and on general sale after this date. There is a light that must never be lit... When the TARDIS runs aground in the ancient realm of Morning, the Doctor learns that a powerful force has reemerged. A lamp filled with a mythical substance known as Hooklight has been discovered - and this could mean the end of everything. A great quest begins against the forces of chaos, encompassing many new friends and foes. Without their ship and without each other,...

info_outline TDP 1366: TV #DoctorWho The Interstellar song contest REVIEW #DisneyWho show art TDP 1366: TV #DoctorWho The Interstellar song contest REVIEW #DisneyWho

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

  Synopsis After two  hijack the control gallery of the  and eject the audience into space,  and  must race to stop them from broadcasting a  to 3 trillion viewers. Plot In the year ,  steps out of cryogenic suspension and onto the stage as the   begins in the  space station, with the  and  exiting the  at the same time in order to take a  reading. As the reading finishes they turn to the stage, notice where they are, and unanimously decide that they're...

info_outline TDP 1358: OCAS - PILOT REVIEW BIG FINISH ORIGINAL show art TDP 1358: OCAS - PILOT REVIEW BIG FINISH ORIGINAL

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

    Greed is a sickness. In the mid-21st century, the country has changed. Following a populist revolution, which brought down the entire system of government, society now aims to be more compassionate and equitable. Poverty is a distant memory, public services are properly funded, and separation between 'haves' and 'have-not' is a thing of the past. Those responsible for the corruption of the old world - people who abandoned moral principles in pursuit of wealth and power - have been diagnosed with a disorder: Obsessive Capital Accumulation Syndrome (OCAS). They have been removed...

info_outline TDP 1365: TV #DoctorWho The Story and The Engine #DisneyWho Review show art TDP 1365: TV #DoctorWho The Story and The Engine #DisneyWho Review

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

  Synopsis When  and  land in  for another  reading, the Doctor goes to a  to meet an old . There, he discovers a mysterious  trapping the patrons, feeding  with their stories. Plot  sits in a chair, getting a haircut, and tells a story about  the , his village saved by the mysterious man in the blue box. As he speaks, images splay out on the wall behind him, depicting his story to the men listening eagerly. As he finishes, they all look at a pair of lights on the wall in tense anticipation,...

info_outline TDP 1351: 1. Zygon Century: Infiltration Worlds of #DoctorWho REVIEW show art TDP 1351: 1. Zygon Century: Infiltration Worlds of #DoctorWho REVIEW

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

  The Zygons have come to claim the Earth, and this time they're playing the long game. For the Black Cadre have a plan, a plan that will take exactly one hundred years to come to fruition. Prepare yourselves... the Zygon Century has begun! 1901: The Unknowing Mirror by Jonathan Barnes In Edwardian London, that scandalous investigator of occult phenomena, Mr Herbert Scott, and his associate, Father Felix Cromwell, are confronted by a case of possession. A young woman, suffering from unusually vivid dreams, seems also to exhibit signs of a completely separate personality. Another being is...

info_outline TDP 1364: TV #Doctorwho review Lucky Day show art TDP 1364: TV #Doctorwho review Lucky Day

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

  Lucky Day (Doctor Who) 3 languages Tools         Appearance  hide Text Small Standard Large Width Standard Wide Color (beta) Automatic Light Dark   From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 316 – "Lucky Day"  episode Promotional title-card Cast  –   –   –  Others Benjamin Chivers – Young Conrad Kirsty Hoiles – Moira Clark  – Conrad Clark...

info_outline TDP 1354 : 14A. Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 14: The Hellwood Inheritance show art TDP 1354 : 14A. Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 14: The Hellwood Inheritance

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

This title was released in March 2025. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 30 April 2025, and on general sale after this date. 14.1 The Hellwood Inheritance by Alan Barnes (4 parts) When the Doctor and Leela are chased through the countryside by a headless knight, it's only the start of their problems. Because they are in the grounds of Hellwood Manor - the first safari park for ghosts! Mistaken for parapsychical investigators, the TARDIS team are shown the mysterious 'ghost catcher' device that's made the whole scheme possible. But it can't...

info_outline TDP 1363: TV #DoctorWho The Well #DisneyWho Doctor Who Review show art TDP 1363: TV #DoctorWho The Well #DisneyWho Doctor Who Review

Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast

  The Well was the third episode of  (also marketed, globally, as Season 2) of . It premiered on  . It was the first episode of Series 15 to feature a new writer, , who co-wrote the script together with . The story features the second appearance and return of the , first seen 17 years prior in the , thus serving as a sequel to  [+] from .   Continuing directly after their encounter with  in the , The Well continues one of Series 15's main story arcs of the Doctor being unable to get the...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=tindogpodcast&_pgn=1&isRefine=true&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496

 

Lucky Day (Doctor Who)

 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
316 – "Lucky Day"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional title-card
Cast
Others
Production
Directed by Peter Hoar
Written by Pete McTighe
Script editor David Cheung
Produced by Vicki Delow
Executive producer(s)
Music by Murray Gold
Series Series 15
Running time 46 minutes
First broadcast 3 May 2025
Chronology
← Preceded by
"The Well"		 Followed by →
"The Story & the Engine"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Lucky Day" is the fourth episode of the fifteenth series of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Pete McTighe, and was directed by Peter Hoar. The episode was released on BBC iPlayer, BBC One, and Disney+ on 3 May 2025.

It features the return of companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who plays a leading role in the episode opposite Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), with both the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), the series' main leads, only appearing briefly. The episode focuses on Ruby, who begins a relationship with Conrad as she attempts to find her place in the world after leaving the Doctor. When it is revealed that Conrad wants to "expose" UNIT for their goals being "fake", Ruby and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart have to deal with the repercussions of Conrad's actions.

The episode was devised by showrunner Russell T Davies, with Davies enlisting McTighe to write the episode. He used the episode to explore Ruby and Kate's characters while also exploring the "the spread of online hatred" and its effects. The episode's monster, the Shreek, was based off of McTighe's childhood fears of dog-like creatures in the dark, with the creature being portrayed via costume and an animatronic head.

Filming took place in November 2023 and it was filmed back-to-back with the series premiere. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Gibson's performance, the twist regarding Conrad's true identity, and the episode's social commentary, but were more critical of underdeveloped plotlines in the episode, as well as the execution of Conrad as an antagonist.

Plot

[edit]

The Doctor and Belinda arrive on New Year's Day, 2007, and meet eight-year-old Conrad. Following this, Conrad investigates sightings of the Doctor and the TARDIS, seeing a younger Doctor with his then-companion Ruby in 2024, where he is marked as prey by a creature called the Shreek. In 2025, after stopping travelling with the Doctor, Ruby gives Conrad about her encounters with extraterrestrial life an interview on his podcast. They start dating and she gives him an antidote to act against him being marked by the Shreek, which has been recently captured by UNIT.

At a weekend away at Conrad's home village, Ruby fears she is in danger and tells Conrad she is suffering from PTSD following her experiences with the Doctor. Two Shreek appear in pursuit of Conrad, who admits he did not take the antidote. Ruby calls UNIT and their leader Kate to the village. The Shreek are revealed to be fake, part of a setup orchestrated by Conrad, whose relationship with Ruby was a ploy, against UNIT. A scandal breaks and Conrad and his followers continue to perpetuate disinformation about the non-existence of aliens, discrediting UNIT.

After Conrad publishes details of UNIT employees, Kate realises he has an insider in UNIT. The insider sneaks Conrad into the building. Alerted to his presence, Kate allows Conrad to reach the command floor, where he livestreams his intrusion. In order to expose Conrad's lies Kate releases the Shreek, which hunts Conrad. With the Shreek attacking him, Conrad admits on his livestream he has been lying about UNIT. Ruby stuns the Shreek, although it manages to injure Conrad's arm. Public sentiment turns in UNIT's favour, though Colonel Ibrahim tells Kate that she went too far by releasing the Shreek. Ruby decides to get away to overcome her trauma, and Kate offers her support when she is ready to talk. Conrad is imprisoned and the Doctor berates him for harming Ruby and his friends. Conrad asks the Doctor if he has yet met Belinda, who the Doctor has not, since that's his future. The Doctor tells Conrad that he will die in prison and be forgotten by history. However, after the Doctor leaves Conrad, Mrs Flood releases him.

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Showrunner Russell T Davies wished to include an episode discussing the spread of "toxic, online hatred", and contacted writer Pete McTighe to write the script.[1] McTighe had previously written episodes under former showrunner Chris Chibnall.[2] When writing the episode, he said that he wanted to take the opportunity to explore what happens to a companion after they leave the Doctor, feeling that it had infrequently been done in the past. McTighe described the episode as a mix between action, romantic comedy, and gothic horror. He also compared one of the main settings to Devil's End from the 1971 serial The Dæmons and the fact that it was a Ruby-centric story to the 2024 episode "73 Yards".[3]

Ruby was referred to as having post-traumatic stress disorder following her time with the Doctor, which Davies wanted to portray in the episode.[4][5] The episode also allowed McTighe to explore Kate's character further, with her willingness to go too far being something that McTighe stated would have further repercussions "beyond this episode, beyond this season, even beyond this show."[1] McTighe developed the Shreek off the idea of a "four-legged, creeping animal", leaning into his childhood fears about dog-like creatures in the dark. He made its motivations simple, with a desire to hunt, to make a monster that could not be reasoned with and terrifying.[1] Prior to this, the Shreek were first mentioned in Caged, a 2024 Doctor Who novel by Una McCormack. McTighe also included a number of Easter egg references to past episodes and popular culture.[6] "Lucky Day" is a "Doctor-lite" episode,[7] which Davies stated required them to find "inventive ways" to include the Doctor, one of which is a flashback to a story set in the previous series.[8] The read-through took place at Wolf Studios Wales on 7 November 2023.[1]

Casting

[edit]
The episode starred Millie Gibson (left) and Jonah Hauer-King (right) as Ruby Sunday and Conrad Clark.

Millie Gibson returns as outgoing series regular and former companion Ruby Sunday.[9][10] It is the first of two appearances that Gibson is set to make during the fifteenth series, as well as her first appearance since the 2024 Christmas special, "Joy to the World".[11][12] In July 2024, at the Doctor Who San Diego Comic-Con panel, it was officially announced that Jonah Hauer-King had been cast in a role that would be involved in Ruby's character arc.[13] Further details later revealed that Hauer-King would portray Conrad, a podcaster and Ruby's boyfriend.[14]

Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu also make brief appearances as the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor and his companion, Belinda Chandra, respectively.[15] Paul Jerricho who plays Alfie previously held the role of the Castellan in "The Five Doctors" (1983).[16] Lachele Carl reprised her role as newsreader Trinity Wells.[17] Alex Jones appears as herself, a Welsh presenter on The One Show interviewing Conrad.[5] The remainder of the guest cast includes Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Alexander Devrient, and Anita Dobson, as well as Nicholas Briggs in a voice role.[18]

Filming and production design

[edit]

The primary Shreek costume was constructed using fibreglass molds and clay, with the final molds eventually being injected with silicon and painted. The Shreek uses an animatronic head. The Shreek costumes used in the episode by Conrad's friends were designed as derivative versions of the primary Shreek costume. The design team at Millenium FX had a designer look at the primary Shreek costume once and then construct the derivative version from memory to reflect the costumes' in-universe construction. The team had to make the costumes look convincing while also looking like "rubber costumes", which proved a challenge. The Shreek performers are unable to see inside the mask, requiring outside direction for the actors to know where they need to go.[5]

The inclusion of mannequins in the scene where Conrad explores the abandoned department store featuring the Shreek was a result of McTighe wanting to include a callback to the first episode of Doctor Who's revived era, "Rose" (2005), which featured living mannequins called Autons.[5] Costume designer Pame Downe designed Ruby's outfits with dark blue and green colors, which Gibson felt were "more mature colors". One of her outfits included a pinstripe suit and pants that Gibson said was reminiscent of one of David Tennant's previous outfits in the series.[19]

Filming occurred in the Welsh village of Newton, Porthcawl (pictured).

"Lucky Day" is directed by Peter Hoar.[20] The episode was placed in the second production block of the fifteenth series with the first episode, "The Robot Revolution", and followed recording of "Joy to the World" in the block immediately preceding.[21][22][23] The two episodes in this block were filmed concurrently by utilizing a back-to-back filming technique.[5] Principal photography for the episode began on 14 November 2023.[21][23] Gibson and Hauer-King were spotted filming scenes together two days later.[24]

Location filming was done in Cardiff City Centre on 24 November. The production team made use of Howells department store for the aforementioned abandoned department store scene, which was similarly used as a filming location in "Rose". For the scenes set in the village, the town of Newton, Porthcawl, was used with recording taking place from 27–29 November. Two-thirds of the budget allocated to the six-week filming block was used during those three days, three hours of which were spent shooting three takes with a helicopter.[5]

Broadcast and reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
The A.V. Club B-[25]
Bleeding Cool 10/10[26]
Evening Standard [27]
GamesRadar+ [28]
IGN 7/10[29]
Radio Times [30]
Vulture [31]

Broadcast

[edit]

"Lucky Day" was simultaneously released on BBC iPlayer at 8 a.m. British Summer Time (BST) in the United Kingdom and on Disney+ in the United States at 12 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on 3 May 2025.[32] A BBC One broadcast of the episode followed at 7:10 p.m. BST.[33] Disney also handled international distribution of the episode.[34]

Ratings

[edit]

The episode recorded overnight broadcast ratings of 1.5 million, a decline on the previous episodes and setting a new record low after Lux's 1.58 million.[35]

Critical reception

[edit]

Robert Anderson, writing for IGN, praised the episode's writing, the performance of Gibson, and the usage of Conrad as an antagonist, though stated that the episode, at times could feel "hollow" and that Ruby's character arc was not as well executed as it could have been.[29] Daniel Cooper, writing for Engadget, similarly highlighted the twist about Conrad's identity, McTighe's writing, and the episode's social commentary, but felt Conrad's backstory utilizing "the trope that survivors of abuse perpetuate that cycle of abuse" was overused.[36] Adi Tantimedh, writing for Bleeding Cool, praised the episode, highlighting the twist involving Conrad and the episode's social commentary.[26]

Stefan Mohammed, writing for Den of Geek, found several of the episode's plot points underdeveloped, stating that Ruby's character arc was undermined by her strong home life and that Conrad embodying all aspects of the social issues being discussed made him feel overcomplicated with unclear motivations. Despite this, he found Gibson's performance compelling, and highlighted the episode's usage of Kate.[37] Vicky Jessop, writing for the London Standard, positively highlighted the episode, though felt Conrad's execution as an antagonist was weak, and that the consequences of his actions were not explored well enough.[27] Isobel Lewis, writing for The A.V. Club, stated the episode had consistency issues not present in the rest of the series; she also found it to retread similar ground to previous series episode "73 Yards", to which she negatively compared "Lucky Day".[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d What Lies in UNIT's Vault? | Behind the Scenes of "Lucky Day" | Doctor Who #UNITLies (Behind the scenes featurette). 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Eddy, Cheryl (27 January 2025). "Doctor Who Is Adding Fresh Writers for Ncuti Gatwa's Season 2". Gizmodo. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  3. ^ Gledhill, Lisa (24 April 2025). Quinn, Jason (ed.). "Preview - Lucky Day". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 616. Panini Magazines. pp. 12–14.
  4. ^ "Doctor Who Lucky Day Cast and Creatives on Ruby's Return, Romance with Jonah-Hauer King's Conrad and a Terrifying New Monster in "Edge of Your Seat" Episode". BBC Mdia Centre. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Powell, Steffan (presenter); Aiken, Jonathon (director) (3 May 2025). "Lucky Day". Doctor Who: Unleashed. Series 15. Episode 4. BBC. BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  6. ^ Salmon, Will (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who season 2: All the Easter eggs, cameos, and references". GamesRadar+. /Film. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  7. ^ Tantimedh, Adi (2 April 2025). "Doctor Who: "Lucky Day" Director on Ruby/Conrad, UNIT & Monsters". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  8. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (1 May 2025). "Doctor Who Boss Teases Ruby Sunday's Return — Including a Never-Before-Seen [Spoiler] Scene". TVLine. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  9. ^ Rowan, Iona (30 April 2025). "Doctor Who Announces "Epic" Finale Plans for Fans - Here's Everything to Know". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  10. ^ Famurewa, Jimi (1 April 2025). "Doctor Who's Varada Sethu: 'Belinda Is Main Character of Her Own Story – Not in Awe of the Doctor'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  11. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (2 April 2025). "Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on Grey's, Fire Country, Daredevil, Chicago Fire, Doctor Who, The Way Home, The Rookie, Doc and More!". TVLine. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  12. ^ Hibbs, James (28 April 2025). "Doctor Who's Millie Gibson Reveals Connection to David Tennant in New Episode Lucky Day". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (3 May 2025). "'Doctor Who' Casts Jonah Hauer-King In Next Season; Nicola Coughlan Joins Christmas Special". Variety.
  14. ^ Griffin, Louise (30 April 2025). "Who Is Conrad in Doctor Who? Jonah Hauer-King Character Explained". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  15. ^ McTighe, Pete (writer), Hoar, Peter (director), Delow, Vicky (producer) (3 May 2025). "Lucky Day". Doctor Who. Series 15. Episode 4. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  16. ^ Tantimedh, Adi (30 April 2025). "Doctor Who: "Lucky Day" Writer Pete McTighe on Penning Ruby's Return". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  17. ^ Griffin, Louise (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Sees Iconic Character Return for Unexpected Cameo in Lucky Day". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  18. ^ "Doctor Who: Synopsis, Timeslot and Cast List Revealed for Fourth Episode, Lucky Day". TVZoneUK. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  19. ^ Rowan, Iona (29 April 2025). "Doctor Who Star Reveals David Tennant Nod in Upcoming Episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  20. ^ Mellor, Louisa (24 March 2025). "Doctor Who Series 15 Episode Titles Tease "Planet Belinda" Mystery". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  21. ^ Jump up to:a b Quinn, Jason, ed. (November 2023). "Issue 596". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 596. Panini Magazines. p. 4.
  22. ^ Quinn, Jason, ed. (January 2024a). "Issue 598". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 598. Panini Magazines. p. 12.
  23. ^ Jump up to:a b Quinn, Jason, ed. (February 2024). "Issue 601". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 601. Panini Magazines. p. 10.
  24. ^ Craig, David (16 November 2023). "Doctor Who Fans Spot Little Mermaid Star Jonah Hauer-King On Set Filming". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  25. ^ Jump up to:a b Lewis, Isobel (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Tries to Recapture the Magic of "73 Yards"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  26. ^ Jump up to:a b Tantimedh, Adi (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who S02E04: Lucky Day Will Upset Everyone (As Davies Planned)". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  27. ^ Jump up to:a b Jessop, Vicky (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who: Lucky Day on BBC One Review – Fake News Comes for the Who-Niverse". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 May 2025.