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Lucky Day (Doctor Who)

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316 – "Lucky Day"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional title-card
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byPeter Hoar
Written byPete McTighe
Produced byVicki Delow
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
SeriesSeries 15
Running time46 minutes
First broadcast3 May 2025 (2025-05-03)
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's true aim is to turn the public against UNIT, 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. McTighe used the episode to explore Ruby and Kate's characters while also exploring the spread and effects of online hatred. The episode's monster, the Shreek, was based on 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 motives and the episode's social commentary, but were more critical of underdeveloped plotlines and the execution of Conrad as an antagonist.

Plot

[edit]

The Doctor and Belinda arrive on New Year's Day 2007 and meet 8-year-old Conrad. Over the next several years, Conrad investigates sightings of the Doctor and the TARDIS, seeing a younger Doctor with his then-companion Ruby in 2024, where Conrad is marked as prey by a creature called the Shreek. In 2025, after she stopped travelling with the Doctor, Ruby gives Conrad an interview on his podcast about her encounters with extraterrestrial life. They start dating after she gives him an antidote to act against him being tracked by the Shreek, which has been recently captured by UNIT.

During a weekend at Conrad's home village, Ruby 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 against UNIT orchestrated by Conrad, who believed UNIT to be a conspiracy and whose relationship with Ruby was a ploy. Media and social media coverage turn against UNIT, and Conrad and his followers continue to perpetuate disinformation claiming the non-existence of aliens and fraud by UNIT.

After Conrad publishes details of UNIT employees, Kate realises Conrad has an insider in UNIT who sneaks him 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, but when Conrad backtracks on that admission, the Shreek bites his arm. Public sentiment turns in UNIT's favour, although 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 visited by the Doctor (who at this point has not yet met Belinda), who berates him for spreading lies and harming Ruby and his friends. The Doctor tells Conrad that he will die in prison and be forgotten by history, but after the Doctor leaves Conrad, Mrs Flood releases him.

Production

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Development

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Doctor Who 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] The two had their first conversation over FaceTime and a second meeting took place on Zoom as McTighe was abroad in Australia. Davies also sent McTighe viewing copies of the three 60th anniversary specials, the 2023 Christmas special, and the entirety of the fourteenth series, before any of those episodes had been publicly released, so that he could better understand Ruby's character development.[2] Before penning "Lucky Day", McTighe had previously written episodes under former showrunner Chris Chibnall.[3] When writing the episode, McTighe 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 show's past.[4]

McTighe described the episode as a mix between action, romantic comedy, and gothic horror. He also compared one of the main settings to the village Devil's End from the 1971 serial The Dæmons and believed that it being a Ruby-centric story was similar to the 2024 episode "73 Yards".[4] Conrad and his followers refer to themselves as "Think Tank"; McTighe revealed this to be a reference to a group with the same name in the 1974–1975 Fourth Doctor serial, Robot.[2] Ruby was referred to as having post-traumatic stress disorder following her time with the Doctor, which Davies wanted to portray in the episode.[5][6] The episode was seen by a reviewer as a backdoor pilot for the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea.[7] This 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 from his childhood fears of dog-like creatures in darkness. The conceptual idea was based off of a terrifying "four-legged, creeping animal" that had a desire to hunt and could not be reasoned with.[1] Prior to this, the Shreek were first mentioned in Caged, a 2024 Doctor Who novel by Una McCormack. A number of Easter egg references to past episodes and popular culture were included in Lucky Day as well.[8] "Lucky Day" is a "Doctor-lite" episode,[9] a term within the programme to describe installments which feature the Doctor minimally.[10] Davies stated this required them to find "inventive ways" to include the Doctor, one of which is a flashback to an unseen story set during the previous series.[11] The Doctor's scene with Conrad at the end of the episode takes place before the Doctor meets Belinda, revealing how the Doctor had prior knowledge of her in "The Robot Revolution".[12] The read-through for the episode took place at Wolf Studios Wales on 7 November 2023, with attendees noting a unique atmosphere due to unaware cast members' response to Conrad's reveal as a villain.[1]

Casting

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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.[13][14] It was the first of three 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".[15][16] 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.[17] Further details later revealed that Hauer-King would portray Conrad, a podcaster and Ruby's boyfriend.[18] Following the episode's broadcast, Gibson revealed in an interview that Hauer-King's character would also appear later on in the series.[19]

Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu also make brief appearances as the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor and his companion, Belinda Chandra, respectively.[20] Paul Jerricho, who plays Alfie in the episode, previously held the role of the Castellan in "The Five Doctors" (1983).[21] Lachele Carl reprised her role as newsreader Trinity Wells.[22] Alex Jones appears as herself, a Welsh presenter on The One Show interviewing Conrad.[6] The remainder of the guest cast includes Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Alexander Devrient, and Anita Dobson as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Shirley Bingham, Carla and Cherry Sunday, Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, and Mrs Flood respectively. Nicholas Briggs is also featured in a voice role as the Vlinx.[23]

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 by Conrad's friends were designed as imitative versions of the original, by looking similar to an extent, but intentionally fake. The design team at Millenium FX had a designer look at the primary Shreek costume once and then construct this 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.[6] The Shreek performers were unable to see inside the mask of the Shreek costume, requiring outside direction for the actors to know where they needed to go.[6]

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.[6] Costume designer Pam Downe designed Ruby's outfits with dark blue and green colours, which Gibson felt were "more mature colours"; 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.[24]

Filming

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

"Lucky Day" is directed by Peter Hoar.[25] 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.[26][27][28] The two episodes in this block were filmed concurrently by utilising a back-to-back filming technique.[6] Principal photography for the episode began on 14 November 2023.[29] Gibson and Hauer-King were spotted filming scenes together a day later.[30]

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.[6]

Soundstage recording was done at Wolf Studios Wales. A former authorised firearms officer was present on set as a weapons master because real firearms with blank cartridges were utilised during filming. Hoar originally hoped to re-use the helipad set that was constructed for "The Giggle" (2023) for the scene where Conrad breaks into the UNIT Tower, but it had been torn down after production concluded on that episode and there were not enough funds to rebuild it. A Steadicam was ultimately used to film to make following Conrad easier. McTighe's initial script included extras of Conrad's followers enter the tower with him, however, the number of people for the scene had to be reduced for feasibility. Two Shreek performers were there, one specializing in movement and the other in action. The crew struggled with getting the Shreek's mouth to open wide enough to bite Conrad. A pre-broken window also had to be fabricated because stunt glass is not fabricated in sizes large enough for the window frame.[31]

Broadcast and reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)75%[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB-[33]
Bleeding Cool10/10[34]
Evening Standard[35]
GamesRadar+[36]
IGN7/10[37]
Radio Times[38]
Vulture[39]

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.[40] A BBC One broadcast of the episode followed at 7:10 p.m. BST.[41] Disney also handled international distribution of the episode.[42]

Ratings

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In the United Kingdom, 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.[43] "Lucky Day" had been seen by a total of 2.80 million after seven days, once catch-up viewing on iPlayer was included.[44]

Critical reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 10 critics' reviews are positive.[32] 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.[37] 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 utilising "the trope that survivors of abuse perpetuate that cycle of abuse" was overused.[45] Adi Tantimedh, writing for Bleeding Cool, praised the episode, highlighting the twist involving Conrad and the episode's social commentary.[34]

Stefan Mohammed, writing for Den of Geek, found several of the episode's plot points underdeveloped, believing that Ruby's decision to leave UNIT was not justified by her relationship with family and Kate, 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.[46] Vicky Jessop, writing for the London Standard, penned a positive review for the episode but felt Conrad's execution as an antagonist was weak and that the consequences of his actions were not explored well enough.[35] Isobel Lewis from The A.V. Club opined that the episode had consistency issues not present in the rest of the series; she also found the plot as being too similar to "73 Yards", to which she negatively compared "Lucky Day".[33]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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. ^ a b "'Lucky Day' writer reveals Fourth Doctor call-back and teases the future of UNIT". Doctor Who TV. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  3. ^ Eddy, Cheryl (27 January 2025). "Doctor Who Is Adding Fresh Writers for Ncuti Gatwa's Season 2". Gizmodo. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b Gledhill, Lisa (24 April 2025). Quinn, Jason (ed.). "Preview - Lucky Day". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 616. Panini Magazines. pp. 12–14.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g 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.
  7. ^ Bibby, Daniel (5 May 2025). "With One Line, Doctor Who Perfectly Sets Up UNIT's Upcoming Spinoff". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 6 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  8. ^ Salmon, Will (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who season 2: All the Easter eggs, cameos, and references". GamesRadar+. /Film. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  9. ^ Tantimedh, Adi (2 April 2025). "Doctor Who: "Lucky Day" Director on Ruby/Conrad, UNIT & Monsters". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  10. ^ Martin-Jones, Josh (27 May 2024). "'Doctor Who': Ranking Every Doctor-Lite Episode". The Streamr. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Jeffrey, Morgan (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who's Lucky Day resolves one major series mystery". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  13. ^ Rowan, Iona (30 April 2025). "Doctor Who Announces "Epic" Finale Plans for Fans - Here's Everything to Know". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
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  15. ^ Hargrave, Sam (14 April 2025). "Here's Why Millie Gibson Left 'Doctor Who' as Ruby Sunday for the Time Being". The Direct. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
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  17. ^ Petski, Denise (3 May 2025). "'Doctor Who' Casts Jonah Hauer-King In Next Season; Nicola Coughlan Joins Christmas Special". Variety.
  18. ^ Griffin, Louise (30 April 2025). "Who Is Conrad in Doctor Who? Jonah Hauer-King Character Explained". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
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  21. ^ Tantimedh, Adi (30 April 2025). "Doctor Who: "Lucky Day" Writer Pete McTighe on Penning Ruby's Return". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  22. ^ Griffin, Louise (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Sees Iconic Character Return for Unexpected Cameo in Lucky Day". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Doctor Who: Synopsis, Timeslot and Cast List Revealed for Fourth Episode, Lucky Day". TVZoneUK. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  24. ^ Rowan, Iona (29 April 2025). "Doctor Who Star Reveals David Tennant Nod in Upcoming Episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ Quinn, Jason, ed. (November 2023). "Issue 596". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 596. Panini Magazines. p. 4.
  27. ^ Quinn, Jason, ed. (January 2024a). "Issue 598". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 598. Panini Magazines. p. 12.
  28. ^ Quinn, Jason, ed. (February 2024). "Issue 601". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 601. Panini Magazines. p. 10.
  29. ^ Quinn, Jason, ed. (January 2024). "Issue 599". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 599. Panini Magazines. p. 10.
  30. ^ Craig, David (16 November 2023). "Doctor Who Fans Spot Little Mermaid Star Jonah Hauer-King On Set Filming". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  31. ^ Gledhill, Lisa (22 May 2025). Quinn, Joseph (ed.). "Lucky Charm". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 617. Panini Magazines. pp. 16–22.
  32. ^ a b "Lucky Day". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ Salmon, Will (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Season 2, Episode 4 Spoiler Review: 'Lucky Day' Has a "Genuinely Surprising" Mid-Episode Reveal". GamesRadar+. /Film. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  37. ^ a b Anderson, Rober (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Season 2, Episode 4 Review – "Lucky Day"". IGN. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  38. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who: Lucky Day". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  39. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Recap: Pod Complex". Vulture. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  40. ^ Cremona, Patrick (26 April 2025). "What Time Are New Episodes of Doctor Who Released? Release Schedule". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  41. ^ Power, Tom (1 May 2025). "What Is the Release Date and Time for Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 4 on Disney+ and BBC One?". TechRadar. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  42. ^ Pateman, Daniel (12 April 2025). "How To Watch Doctor Who Season 15 Online And Stream Every Episode For Free From Anywhere". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  43. ^ Cormack, Morgan (4 May 2025). "Doctor Who overnight ratings confirmed for Lucky Day". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  44. ^ "Weekly top 50 shows". Broadcasters Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  45. ^ "Doctor Who 'Lucky Day' Review: Pete, I Owe You an Apology". Engadget. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  46. ^ Mohamed, Stefan (3 May 2025). "Doctor Who Series 15 Episode 4 Review: Lucky Day". Den of Geek. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
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