Series 14, Episode 4 | 1 part | First broadcast: 25 May 2024 | Writer: Russell T Davies | Director: Dylan Holmes Williams
Cast
- Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
- Hilary Hobson as the Woman
- Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam
- Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
- Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood
- Siân Phillips as Enid Meadows
- Susan Twist as a hiker
Summary
After the Doctor accidentally breaks a Welsh fairy circle and vanishes without explanation, Ruby spends the rest of her life followed by a mysterious woman who always remains exactly seventy-three yards away and causes anyone who speaks with her to flee in terror, and across the following decades Ruby uses this strange curse to stop a dangerous future Prime Minister from starting a nuclear war, before an elderly Ruby ultimately becomes the mysterious woman herself, traveling back in time to prevent the Doctor from ever breaking the circle.
Interesting Facts
- Described by Russell T Davies as “one of the greatest things I’ve ever made,” the episode is a folk-horror story largely carried by Millie Gibson, with Ncuti Gatwa barely appearing due to filming commitments elsewhere.
- It is one of only four Doctor Who episodes in the show’s history to omit the theme song and title sequence entirely.
- The episode was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 2025.
- It received a perfect 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, among the best-reviewed episodes of the series.
- The episode drew 4.058 million consolidated viewers, then the series’ highest figure.
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