Series 14, Episode 5 | 1 part | First broadcast: 1 June 2024 | Writer: Russell T Davies | Director: Dylan Holmes Williams
Cast
- Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor
- Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
- Callie Cooke as Lindy Pepper-Bean
- Tom Rhys Harries as Ricky September
- Susan Twist as Penny Pepper-Bean
Summary
In the wealthy floating city of Finetime, young residents live entirely inside personal “bubble” social-media interfaces controlled by drone assistants called Dots, oblivious to the giant slugs picking them off one by one in alphabetical order, and while the Doctor and Ruby communicate with survivor Lindy only through her social feed to help save her and the other trapped residents, the last survivors ultimately refuse the Doctor’s offer of rescue in the TARDIS, in a final twist implicitly rooted in racial prejudice.
Interesting Facts
- The episode was repeatedly compared to Black Mirror both by critics and by writer Russell T Davies himself.
- Every guest role in the episode was deliberately cast with white actors to set up the racism reveal in the closing scene.
- It recorded the lowest viewing figures for the show since its 2005 revival at the time it aired, with 3.38 million consolidated viewers.
- The episode scored 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, though several critics felt the closing “twist” offered too easy a shortcut for addressing racism.
- It continues the “gods and monsters” undercurrent of the season through its unconventional monster, the alphabet-hunting slugs.
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